Rain services will continue to be disrupted Thursday morning after a 24-hour strike that paralyzed the rail network, causing travel chaos across the country.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) at Network Rail and 14 train companies walked out on Wednesday in a long-running dispute over jobs, wages and conditions.
Talks are expected to resume on Thursday, but there are few signs of breaking the deadlock.
Strikes are always the last resort
Saturday and next month there will be strikes by both the RMT and members of the drivers’ union Insult and the Transport Paid Staffs Association.
Services will be impacted Thursday morning, causing people traveling to: Birmingham for the opening of the Commonwealth Games.
Aslef has announced that drivers from nine railway companies will go on a one-day strike on Saturday, August 13, as the companies failed to make wage offers to help members keep pace with the rise in the cost of living.
Drivers will go on strike at seven companies this Saturday and Aslef members at two more train operators voted overwhelmingly in favor of union action.
Only about one in five trains ran on Wednesdays, and some areas had no services at all.
Mick WhelanGeneral Secretary of Aslef, said: “Strikes are always the last resort.
“We don’t want to harass passengers – our friends and families also use public transport – and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike, but we have been forced into this position by the companies, who say they are being driven to do so by the government.”
A quarrel broke out between unions and the transport minister Grant Shapps after he drew up plans to curb union action, including stopping coordinated union action, limiting pickets and having a cooling-off period after strikes.
The RMT and TSSA will hold more strikes on August 18 and 20, while London Underground workers will leave on August 19.
On Friday there will also be strikes by BT employees and those of the AQA Examination Board.
Royal Mail employees have voted to strike amid disputes over pay for public sector workers, including teachers and health workers.