UPDATE: the strikes on 5, 7 and 9 November have been cancelled last minute.
RMT — aka the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers — has announced a fresh round of rail strikes for November.
On 5, 7 and 9 November, members of the union will go on strike, causing disruption on trains in and out of the capital. The Independent says that only one in five trains will run nationally.
As for getting around London itself, RMT members are striking in a separate dispute on 10 November, with London Underground and Overground networks due to be affected. When this happened on 8 October, there was limited service on some lines, and very limited service on others. Passengers were advised not to travel.
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch — who's become something of a celeb this year — has blamed 'the dishonesty of Network Rail bosses' on the planned strikes, which are over pay: "On the one hand they were telling our negotiators that they were prepared to do a deal while planning to torpedo negotiations by imposing unacceptable changes to our members' terms and conditions.
"Our members are livid with these duplicitous tactics, and they will now respond in kind with sustained strike action."
2022 has been riddled with strikes from the RMT and other unions, namely Aslef, the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) and Unite. Everyone's patently getting sick and tired of these strikes, although of late, there is the palpable feeling of empathy with the rail staff, from the public as a whole. The RMT is even flogging "I support the Rail Workers" t shirts.
