2022–2024 United Kingdom railway strikes

National negotiations for a wage increase for rail workers were ongoing, but with the Department for Transport (DfT) stating this had to be "with clear direction from government about the modernisation that needs to be achieved".

Critics of the strike, including Network Rail, point to changing commuter habits, such as a reduction in ticket office use, as well as more working from home since the COVID-19 pandemic, and passenger numbers continuing to be significantly below pre-COVID levels.

[22] This stance has drawn criticism from RMT union officials, such as General Secretary Mick Lynch,[23] as well as some politicians, including Conservative MP Jake Berry, who urged the government to join discussions.

[needs update] Mick Lynch, General Secretary of the RMT said the decision "sends a clear message that members want a decent pay rise, job security and no compulsory redundancies".

[40] Talks between the RMT and Network Rail resumed on 30 June, with union leaders warning of further strike action if the consultation, scheduled to begin the following day, was to go ahead.

[45] In a press release on 22 July, the RMT union additionally accused Network Rail of "threatening to impose compulsory redundancies and unsafe 50% cuts to maintenance work" if strike action was not withdrawn.

[72] The dispute was resolved with negotiations in Scotland and Wales,[73][74] with Lynch noting that in those locations the DfT could not block a resolution between the unions and train companies as they could in England, as transport was devolved to the Scottish and Welsh governments.

[77] On 19 January 2023 the Rail Delivery Group made a fresh offer to the RMT, with a backdated pay rise to 2022 and worth 5% for 2022 and 4% for 2023, but this was again linked to changes in working conditions.

[75] On 31 October 2023, Harper confirmed the plans would be scrapped, and said the government "has asked train operators to withdraw their proposals" because they "failed to meet high passenger standards".

[98] On 8 November, it was confirmed that members of the RMT would vote on a revised pay offer and guarantee of job security that would end the strike action if accepted.

[130] On 21 June, and on subsequent strike days, many areas of the UK were without train services, including most of Scotland and Wales, the whole of Cornwall and Dorset, and places such as Chester, Hull, Lincoln and Worcester.

[131][132] On 21 June Sky News reported on the effectiveness of the strike, stating there appeared to have been less of an impact than anticipated, and cited the large number of white collar workers who would be able to work from home, as they had done during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[21] Gemma Dale, a lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University Business School, suggested the ability of white collar workers to work from home has lessened the strike's potential impact and taken pressure off the government to bring a swift resolution to the situation.

Leon Thompson, executive director of UKHospitality Scotland, suggested that the initial three days of strikes planned in June may lose the industry as much as £50 million.

On 23 June BBC News reported that around 25 festivalgoers were waiting at London's Paddington station for trains going to Glastonbury, suggesting many had either travelled on non-strike days or found other ways of getting to the festival.

[143] The third day of action also coincided with a Test cricket match in Leeds, prompting TransPennine Express to urge people to avoid travelling there by train.

[15] On 27 July, BBC News reported that one in five trains were running, but that some places such as Blackpool, Bournemouth and Portsmouth had no services,[144] and it was expected the strike action would affect travel to the 2022 UEFA Women's Euro semi-final in Milton Keynes.

[148] Events impacted by this strike included a Coldplay concert at Wembley Stadium and English Premier League fixtures, with concertgoers and spectators advised to make alternative travel arrangements.

[158] At a meeting of his cabinet on 21 June 2022, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the UK should be prepared to "stay the course" because "these reforms, these improvements in the way we run our railways are in the interests of the travelling public, they will help to cut costs for farepayers up and down the country".

[162] The new regulations repealed previous legislation that prohibited the use of agency staff to replace striking workers,[163][164] and raise the amount of damages a company can seek from a trade union because of industrial action from £250,000 to £1 million.

On 1 July the directors of 13 of the UK's largest recruitment companies, including Hays plc, Adecco Group, Randstad NV and ManpowerGroup, wrote to the business secretary urging him to reconsider the plans amid concerns they could further exacerbate the situation.

He also instructed Labour MPs not to join picket lines, but several, including John McDonnell, Diane Abbott, Kate Osborne and Nadia Whittome, then went on to do so.

[173][174][175] On 27 July, Labour MP Sam Tarry was dismissed from his post as a shadow transport minister after joining picketing railway workers at London's Euston station.

[183] On 22 June 2022 it was reported that members of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) had voted to accept a 7.1% pay rise following an ongoing dispute with Merseyrail which had led to strike action.

[186] On 24 June 2022, members of the RMT working on the London Underground voted to continue with strike action for a further six months in an ongoing dispute over pensions and job cuts.

[196] On 23 June, it was announced that 700 staff at Heathrow Airport who belong to the GMB and Unite unions had voted to hold strike action during the summer holidays, when the number of overseas travellers was expected to be at pre-pandemic levels.

[198] On 27 June, members of the Criminal Bar Association in England and Wales began four weeks of industrial action after rejecting a 15% pay rise; the walkout disrupted 90% of proceedings at the Old Bailey as barristers demanded a 25% increase.

[200] On 27 June, it was announced that members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) at 114 Crown Post Offices, the largest branches typically on a high street or city centre, would walk out on 11 July in an ongoing dispute over pay.

[201] On 28 June, GPs at the Annual General Meeting of the British Medical Association voted to take industrial action over new contracts requiring them to work on weekday evenings and Saturdays.

[214] On 17 November, the union warned the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay, that he had 5 days to open formal negotiations or strikes would be announced for December 2022.