London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jun 11, 2026

Travel trouble: Rail, bus and highways workers strike as pay disputes continue

Travel trouble: Rail, bus and highways workers strike as pay disputes continue

The latest strikes come just a day after nurses walked out for the first time - the latest episode in a winter of woe for the government.

Parts of the UK are facing more travel trouble with rail, bus and highways workers walking off the job today in the continuing dispute over pay and conditions.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union will begin another 48-hour strike, after talks failed to make progress on Thursday.

The RMT said "further discussions" had been agreed but "in the meantime, all industrial action remains in place".

The union is involved in two disputes - one with Network Rail, where it represents around 20,000 signallers and maintenance workers, and the other with the Rail Delivery Group, where it represents about 20,000 workers at 14 train companies.

Members of both groups will strike today and tomorrow, and then on 3-4 January and 6-7 January, with RMT members at Network Rail also striking from 6.30pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on 27 December.

TSSA (Transport Salaried Staffs' Association) members at Network Rail voted on Thursday to accept a pay offer, but members at Avanti West Coast will continue with their strike action today.

Passengers across the rail network have been warned not to travel.

Meanwhile, bus drivers employed by Abellio in south and west London will strike today and tomorrow as part of their dispute over pay.

Their union - Unite - said Abellio has failed to enter into "meaningful pay talks" about salary increases and that its members are among the lowest paid in London.

Their colleagues at Metroline in north and west London had been due to strike today but they accepted an offer earlier this month - an 11% pay rise with a 10% increase on back pay.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services union who work for National Highways will walk out in the North West, North East and Yorkshire today, with other parts of the country to be affected in coming weeks.



The PCS said the workers plan, design, build, operate and maintain the country's roads and that the strikes risk bringing the network to a "standstill".

Their dispute is over pay, pensions, job security and redundancy terms.

National Highways said around 125 out of 1,500 frontline operational staff would be taking part in the strikes, which it said was between 10 and 25 people per region.

It said: "We're working to ensure that any industrial action will not affect road users' experience and are confident that the impact of the strikes will be managed."

Rail, bus and highways workers are among hundreds of thousands of workers striking this winter, as inflation and other cost-of-living pressures leave pay behind.

Also on strike today are more than 900 staff who work at the Rural Payments Agency, DVSA staff in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and Eurostar security guards.

A strike planned for today by ground handlers employed by Menzies at Heathrow Airport has been called off, however.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Office for National Statistics Adopts Supermarket Checkout Data for Inflation Measurement
Applied Atomics Launches With $500 Million Space Infrastructure Order Book
BYD Plans Nationwide Rollout of Ultra-Fast EV Charging Network
UK House Prices Unexpectedly Fall in May
CBI Warns UK Growth Is Becoming Increasingly Dependent on Public Spending
Makerfield By-Election Fuels Speculation Over Labour’s Future Leadership
Britain Declines to Join EU SAFE Defence Fund
UK Unveils 2040 Emissions Target Despite Strong Political Opposition
Government Orders Full Review of Palantir’s NHS Data Contract
UK Borrowing Costs Climb as Markets Price in Further Bank of England Rate Rises
Resident Doctors Confirm Five-Day NHS Strike Across England
Violent Anti-Immigrant Riots in Belfast Spark Political and Diplomatic Tensions
United Kingdom Sees Recovery in Horizon Europe Research Funding Share to 9.3 Percent
UK Inflation Holds at 2.8 Percent as Office for Budget Responsibility Flags Persistent Price Pressures
United Kingdom Launches National Anti-Fraud Framework to Combat Rising Pension Scam Losses
United Kingdom Expands Sanctions on Israeli Groups While Funding Palestinian Authority Salaries and Gaza Mine Clearance
United Kingdom Issues Three-Month Ultimatum to Major Technology Firms Over Child Online Safety Controls
United Kingdom Government Moves Toward Blanket Social Media Ban for Children Under Sixteen
Widespread Anti-Immigration Rioting Erupts Across Belfast After Knife Attack Linked to Asylum Seeker
Farmers Warn of Crop Losses Following Months of Unseasonal Rainfall
Civil Aviation Authority Launches Review of Regional Airport Operations
Met Office Issues Heat-Health Alert Across Parts of England
National Grid Introduces New Measures to Protect Winter Energy Supply
Northern England Rail Upgrades Receive Additional Government Funding
Wales Advances Green Hydrogen Strategy to Decarbonize Heavy Industry
UK Expands Recruitment Incentives to Address Shortage of STEM Teachers
High Court Opens Door to Climate Liability Claims Against Major Industrial Emitters
Police Service of Northern Ireland Investigates Major Personnel Data Breach
Defense Ministry Overhauls Procurement System to Accelerate AUKUS Submarine Program
Net Migration Remains Above Government Expectations, New Data Shows
UK and Scottish Governments Agree Framework for Expanded North Sea Wind Development
UK Treasury Launches New Tax Incentives to Boost AI and Semiconductor Investment
Bank of England Signals Continued Caution on Interest Rate Cuts
UK Unveils £10 Billion NHS Digital Modernization Plan Centered on AI Integration
Nebius Opens Major Robotics and Physical AI Laboratory in London
Bank of England Data Shows Strong Rise in New Mortgage Approvals
Network Rail Completes Landmark Upgrade of Severn Tunnel Rail Infrastructure
East West Rail Passenger Services Between Oxford and Milton Keynes Set for December Launch
GlaxoSmithKline Reportedly Pursues £7 Billion Acquisition of US Cancer Drug Developer Nuvalent
Bank of England Signals Interest Rates Likely to Remain Unchanged Despite Energy Market Risks
NHS Trusts Launch Job-Cutting Programmes as Financial Pressures Intensify Across England
More Than 130 Labour MPs Urge Ban on Trade With Israeli Settlements
Keir Starmer Orders Technology Firms to Introduce Smartphone Nudity Controls for Under-18s
UK Unveils £400 Million National AI Supercomputer Fund and New Economics Institute
Japanese Technology Firm Fujitsu Launches Advanced Artificial Intelligence Tool for Corporate Disclosures
South Africa Officially Launches Nationwide Campaign for Highly Contested Local Government Elections
United Kingdom Commits Additional Funding for Unexploded Ordnance Clearance in Laos
Singapore Announces Stringent New Greenhouse Gas Regulations for Commercial Cooling Systems
Cambodia and Thailand Hold High-Level Border Security Talks at United Nations Headquarters
Myanmar Military Government and China Sign Major Agreement to Upgrade Media and Cultural Cooperation
×