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Train strikes in December to take place between Saturday December 2 and Friday, December 8

12:58, 29 November 2023

updated: 10:33, 05 December 2023

No trains will run across the county tomorrow (Wednesday) as transport workers go on strike – despite a deal being reached.

Members of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) voted to accept a pay deal from the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) last Thursday (November 30).

Aslef has announced further strikes for December
Aslef has announced further strikes for December

However, train drivers represented by Aslef will still walk out, meaning services are being hampered this week – with Kent facing the worst disruption tomorrow.

Scott Brightwell, Operations and Safety Director for Southeastern, which will have no services running tomorrow, is advising passengers in Kent to keep across journey planners throughout the strike period.

He said: “Strikes are designed to be disruptive, and it is clear there will be disruption and inconvenience to customers across Kent and East Sussex during this time but particularly on Wednesday 6 December. We are sorry for the obvious inconvenience this will cause.

“I would urge customers who are travelling during this time to check their entire journey before setting off. You can do so on the Southeastern website or on other journey planners.”

The strikes are expected to trigger the cancellation of all services
The strikes are expected to trigger the cancellation of all services
The RMT union has agreed a deal for staff members
The RMT union has agreed a deal for staff members

It comes as staff from different train companies continue a week of rolling strikes on different days, spreading the walkouts over almost a week.

The action began last Saturday (December 2) and will continue until this Friday (December 8).

Drivers are also refusing to work any overtime between December 1 and December 19.

The move is expected to cause problems for both commuters and those looking to enjoy the build-up to Christmas.

The RMT union had been embroiled in an 18-month-long disagreement with bosses over pay.

Yet the agreed deal announced last week includes a backdated pay rise of 5% for 2022-23, as well as job security guarantees.

December strikes are expected to hit people’s pre-Christmas plans. Image: iStock.
December strikes are expected to hit people’s pre-Christmas plans. Image: iStock.

These are this week’s strike dates in full:

Saturday, December 2 at East Midlands Railway and LNER

Sunday, December 3 at Avanti West Coast, Chiltern, Great Northern Thameslink, and West Midlands Trains

Tuesday, December 5 at C2C and Greater Anglia

Wednesday, December 6 at Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, SWR main line, SWR depot drivers, and Island Line

Thursday, December 7 at CrossCountry and GWR

Friday, December 8 at Northern and TP

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