London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Rail strikes: RMT union 'won't hesitate' to take further industrial action as third walkout causes weekend disruption

Rail strikes: RMT union 'won't hesitate' to take further industrial action as third walkout causes weekend disruption

The general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) says it will engage in a "constructive dialogue" to resolve the row over jobs, pay and conditions, while Boris Johnson says the public has a right to expect reforms to train services.

Rail union boss Mick Lynch has warned his members will not hesitate to take further strike action as he said the disruptive dispute had "a long way to go yet".

But he insisted the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union would engage in a "constructive dialogue" and work with Network Rail and the train firms to reach a settlement that is agreeable to both sides.

Mr Lynch was speaking to Sky News as train services were hit by the third walkout this week over jobs, pay and conditions.

Only a fifth of services are running and half of the lines are closed.

Passengers have been warned by rail operators that they should only travel by train if necessary and to check their journey in advance.

Signalling little sign of a breakthrough in the current industrial strife, the RMT general secretary said: "There's a long way to go yet.

"Most of the stuff our members voted very heavily in favour for action about are what's on the table now and they have not diluted very much the stuff they want and that's true of the train operators and Network Rail."

He added: "We have got to be very cautious about what they call progress.

"There may be progress in their agenda, but it doesn't mean that our members are going to accept those changes just because the company wants them.

"We have got to work that problem through with them.

"We will do that in a constructive dialogue but there's still a long way to go on this dispute."

Train firms 'aren't listening'



Mr Lynch went on: "The whole point of a dialogue and a negotiation is that people change their position and you get to a new position that doesn't belong to either party so that you can form a constructive way forward.

"At the moment the companies are giving us all the reforms they want but they aren't listening fully to what we need and our members need to get a decent working life on the railway.

"They need to change their position in terms of what they are offering in terms of pay, what they can do for job security and the way that they engage their staff and come to agreement with us about the way people work.

"We will work with them on that. We have not named dates. We will review where we are in discussions next week and then we will decide if we need to take more action.

"Network Rail issued a notice a formal letter of redundancy last week, that's entirely unacceptable as a step to take in the middle of a negotiation."

'We're putting more into the railways than any previous government'



Meanwhile, Boris Johnson told Sky News the public has a right to expect reforms to rail services.

He said: "I would say, given the circumstances we're in, I think what we want to see is reform and improvement in the way the railways work, and modernisation.

"When you've got a 25% fall in ridership, which we've got at the moment, we've got the government putting billions and billions (into it).

"We're putting more into the railways than any previous government.

"I think the travelling public has a right to expect some basic reforms, like with ticket offices, like with walking time, and some of these other practices that really nobody defends except the union leaders."


Many people were able to avoid the rail disruption during the first two days of the strikes - Tuesday and Thursday - by working from home.

But for those with long-standing plans to travel by train for weekend events, this was not an option.

Popular seaside resorts - such as Bournemouth, Blackpool, Margate, Llandudno, and Skegness - will have no rail services.

And even the services that are running will only operate between 7.30am and 6.30pm, with several major stations such as Birmingham New Street, Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly closing at 7pm.

Disruption is expected to affect many Sunday services too.

Passengers with pre-booked tickets for Saturday are able to travel on Friday, Sunday or Monday instead, or claim a refund.

This week's strikes are estimated to have cost the rail industry up to £150m in lost revenue and aborted planned upgrade work.

Talks between the RMT and rail employers have been held throughout this week and are expected to resume in the next few days.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
×