The four-day strike by RMT union members is going to be no festive fun. The RMT union, which has been involved in the biggest and bitterest dispute the industry has seen in decades, is set to call out most of its members in a four day strike beginning on Christmas Eve. Not only will the strike derail engineering plans, it is set to cause severe rail disruption for passenger and freight traffic.

The impact will be high on passengers, as there will be absoluately no train traffic to transport them. Freight operators however, although not directly involved in the dispute, will be restricted in movement around the network by the absence of signalling staff in many areas. They will also be asked to alter rostering to accommodate rescheduled engineering works.

“Most vital RMT staff [are] due to leave their posts at 6 pm (18.00 hrs) on 24 December”, say Network Rail. “By then, all trains will have to be off the network and safely stabled ready for start-up on 27 December. Hundreds of vital engineering trains need to be moved into position much earlier than normal before the strike begins.”

Disputes and walkouts

Rail unions have been in dispute with the industry since this summer. A series of negotiations have been held, each without success. The union has already held several  48-hour stoppages already in December and more are planned for January. The walkout over Christmas is however the most anticipated considering the timing of the strike.

Government sources claim that the national executive of the RMT has rejected the most recent pay offer and package without presenting it to its membership. The union says that it regrets the inconvenience caused by their action, but blames the UK government for directing industry negotiators to refrain from making any improvements to the rejected offer.