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Rail and Tube strikes: Final services out of London ALREADY leaving

21/06/2022

Back to the 1980s: Thatcher’s arch-nemesis Arthur Scargill joins rail workers on the picket line four decades after miners’ strike… as desperate commuters scramble for the last train home before final service out of London leaves at 6.05PM

Britain’s railways came to a halt today after last-ditch talks failed to avert the biggest strikes for 30 years
Militant RMT union is accused of ‘punishing millions of innocent people’ by pressing ahead with the walkouts
Walkouts will hinder millions trying to get to work and stop patients from attending vital health appointments
They will last for months to come as RMT chief said striking would continue for ‘as long as it needs to go on’
Do you know the commuter who stood in front of a 123 bus? Email: [email protected]
Train strike live: Follow the latest TfL Tube and UK rail updates here as traffic chaos builds throughout country

Margaret Thatcher’s arch-nemesis Arthur Scargill joined rail workers on the picket line today as unions ground the country to a halt – while desperate commuters scrambled for the last train home, with the final service out of London leaving at 6.05pm.

The former firebrand leader of the National Union of Miners, who unleashed a wave of strike action in the mid-1980s in a bid to stop Margaret Thatcher’s pit closures and topple the Tory government, wore his 1984 ‘safety first’ cap as he stood on the picket line in Wakefield.

A relic from the final wheezing gasps of the 20th Century, ‘Barmy Arthur’, now 84, ordered tens of thousands of flying pickets to power stations, coal and coke depots in a doomed attempt to stop electricity production and cripple the economy during the 1984-85 miners’ strike.

Today’s strikes saw an extremely limited service running on the tracks across the country, with city workers now fearing they may be stuck in London if they didn’t make it to the station in time for an exceptionally early last train.

Britain’s 13 operators caught up in the industrial action are not running any services after 6.30pm but some lines are closed completely and the latest Scotland-bound service left Euston at 1.30pm. The last train south to England from Edinburgh via the east coast was 12.30pm and 3pm from Glasgow via the west coast mainline.

The last train to the West Country from Paddington leaves at 5.42pm or 5.50pm from Waterloo, while the final services to East Anglia from Liverpool Street are 5.40pm. The last train from Victoria to the south coast including Brighton is 5.35pm and 6pm for Gatwick.

When is your last train home from London today?

c2c – London Fenchurch Street

5.05pm – Shoeburyness

5.37pm – Grays

Chiltern Railways – London Marylebone

3.10pm – Banbury

4.10pm – Bicester North

Greater Anglia – London Liverpool Street

4.25pm – Cambridge

4.30pm – Norwich and Ipswich

5.30pm – Southend Victoria

5.40pm – Stansted Airport

Thameslink/Great Northern – London King’s Cross

3.27pm – Ely

5.15pm – Peterborough

5.32pm – Cambridge

Thameslink/Great Northern – London St Pancras

5.34pm – Luton

5.49pm – Bedford

Thameslink/Great Northern – London Bridge

5.35pm – Brighton

6.05pm – Gatwick Airport

Southern – London Victoria

5.30pm – Sutton

5.50pm – Brighton

Great Western Railway – London Paddington

5.22pm – Swindon

5.41pm – Slough

5.48pm – Reading

South Western Railway – London Waterloo

5pm – Southampton

5.22pm – Windsor

5.50pm – Woking

Nicole Perl, 33 was forced to spend £50 on a taxi to make it to London Euston Station on time to make the last Scotland-bound train which would take her to her home in Carlisle.

She said: ‘I checked the trains yesterday when I arrived back from Stansted Airport and they seemed to be running fairly regularly, every two hours or so up until 6pm and it seemed to be the case this morning as well.

‘But when I checked again at noon it said the last train was at 1.30pm so it was a bit of a rush to get here. It was quite stressful and sweaty’.

Another passenger, who did not want to be identified, said they had spent £100 on a taxi as their planned public transport route would not get them to the station in time.

Tempers flared today after furious commuters were forced to battle for buses, drive or cycle to the office during the biggest rail strike in 30 years – as union baron Mick Lynch caught a cab after plunging Britain into chaos.

More than 50,000 members have walked out over demands for a 11 per cent pay rise as millions battled into work, were forced to work from home or unable to earn money at all this week in a hammer blow to the already creaking economy.

The UK has been forced into another de facto lockdown that could be the death knell for many small businesses who have already been struggling for the past two years due to the pandemic and were just getting back on their feet.

Andrew Haines, Chief Executive of Network Rail, said the strikes are ‘devastating’ for the country, declaring at an empty Waterloo: ‘This is a wasteland. It’s like the darkest days of COVID’. He admitted it’s ‘likely’ the rail strikes will go ahead on Thursday and Saturday – but added: ‘I will do everything I can to try turn that around’.

And the frustrations of millions was reflected in an incident in east London this morning when a commuter stood in front of a 123 bus between Ilford and Lordship Lane, Tottenham, after it refused to stop for dozens waiting at a bus stop. Witnesses said the irate man had been waiting for 30 minutes but bus after bus flew by. Commuters could be heard angrily talking on their phones about the ‘f****** rail strikes’ as the drama unfolded.

It was filmed by a witness named David, believed to be a NHS worker, who said: ‘Since 6:30am waiting for a bus but the buses still passing without stopping. And my patients and coworkers still waiting for me because of the Rail strikes. And we are not allowed to strike. And my salary is totally worse than the ones that are striking. The country needs a change’.

It came as RMT boss Mr Lynch was pictured jumped into a taxi in central London – a luxury not likely to be affordable to the swathes of Brits desperately trying to get to work – after dominating the airwaves this morning, in which he defended his union’s industrial action that has ground huge areas of the country to a halt.

Much of Britain has no passenger trains for the entire day, including most of Scotland and Wales, the whole of Cornwall and Dorset, and places such as Chester, Hull, Lincoln and Worcester cut off. If services are going ahead they will be limited with no trains travelling after 6.30pm this evening.

London’s Tube network is also shut down, forcing commuters on to rammed buses or into their cars. There were long queues on the roads including worse than usual traffic at hotspots such as the Blackwall Tunnel in Greenwich, south-east London, and roads in the west close to Heathrow,

Traffic data from TomTom showed that a 30-minute journey was taking almost an hour this morning with traffic almost 30 per cent higher than yesterday.

The RMT union has been accused of ‘punishing millions of innocent people’ by pressing ahead with the walkouts, despite rail bosses offering workers a pay rise of at least 3 per cent – the same given last year to NHS staff who battled the Covid-19 crisis. They want an 11 per cent rise to match inflation levels.

Today its militant left-wing leader Mick Lynch threatened to ‘co-ordinate industrial action across every town and city in Britain’ amid warnings they will strike until Christmas over pay and jobs.

Ardent communist Arthur Scargill has joined Mick Lynch’s mass rail strikes today in solidarity with the ‘greedy’ union barons who have paralysed Britain. Above: The former leader of the National Union of Mineworkers is seen on a picket line in Wakefield

EUSTON: Passengers await their trains to be announced, at a quiet Euston station today. The last train to Scotland was at 1.30pm today

Rail operators have urged commuters to check their last trains because the latest services will leave London at 6.30pm, but in most cases, much earlier than that because of emergency timetables

EUSTON STATION: RMT Union boss Mick Lynch on the picket as he vowed to shut down transport in every town and city over pay

Speaking outside a deserted Euston Station he said: ‘If the Government doesn’t change direction, I believe more strike action is inevitable. We as trade unions need to synchronise’. He said striking would continue for ‘as long as it needs to go on’.

Britain’s strike lockdown: How trains and Tubes will be hit by union walkout

TRAINS

RMT action is affecting 13 operators today, Thursday and Saturday. It will have a knock-on effort on the three days after each strike day – tomorrow, Friday and Sunday.

The operators running a limited service today are: Avanti West Coast, c2c, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Eurostar, Grand Central, Great Northern, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, Heathrow Express, Hull Trains, LNER, London Northwestern Railway, Lumo, Northern, ScotRail, South Western Railway, Southeastern, Southern, Stansted Express, Thameslink, TransPennine Express, Transport for Greater Manchester, Transport for Wales and West Midlands Railway.

Three operators have no service today – Gatwick Express, Caledonian Sleeper and Merseyrail.

There is also a strike by Aslef on Greater Anglia trains on Thursday (June 23) and Croydon Tramlink on June 28 and June 29, and on July 13 and July 14). An Aslef strike on Hull Trains on Sunday (June 26) has been called off.

TUBE

RMT and Unite strike on London Underground today, affecting Tubes until 8am tomorrow, majority of lines and stations are closed. Those running services are:

Central line: Services west of White City and east of Liverpool Street. No services in central London

Elizabeth line: Minor delays between Paddington to Reading; Liverpool Street to Shenfield and Paddington to Heathrow Terminal 4

Northern line: Service operating between East Finchley and High Barnet / Mill Hill East and between Golders Green and Edgware approximately every 12 minutes

London Overground: Part suspended between Romford and Upminster also between Highbury & Islington and Dalston Junction

FOR A FULL BREAKDOWN OF SERVICE AND DISRUPTION, SEE BOX BELOW

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps soon hit back and accused Mr Lynch of wanting to transform himself into one of the ‘1970s union barons’.

Labour is in disarray over the strikes as MPs ignored a warning from their leader Sir Keir Starmer and joined picket lines this morning as Britain’s railway stations, usually rammed with commuters were deserted. Even his deputy Angela Rayner was in revolt, insisting those on strike had ‘no choice’.

Train passengers are facing chaos with half of the UK’s rail network closed completely and only a fifth of services running due to the biggest strike by rail workers for a generation.

Those who struggled in by train said that a ten to 15 minute journey by train into the capital took 90 minutes or more. People who had to go into the city either rammed on to buses that were packed at 5.30am or walked or cycled.

Some paid a small fortune for black taxis or mini cabs. Uber users in London are being hit with a surge in prices amid strikes on the railways and London Underground. A three-mile journey from Paddington to King’s Cross was estimated to cost £27 at 8.45am – more than double the usual price.

In another return to lockdown Britain, schools were forced to have teach virtually because children couldn’t get it. GCSE and A-level exams are disrupted, with children sleeping on floors of classmates so they don’t risk missing them. The NHS said it was open as usual but patients were forced to miss appointments because they simply couldn’t get there.

As Britain went back into lockdown because of nationwide strikes, it also emerged:

Unions threaten to shut down towns and cities in the UK unless workers receive a huge pay rise and Government drops plans to use agency workers. Grant Shapps says that RMT leader Mick Lynch wishes to become a union baron reminiscent of the 1970s;
Wales and regions of the UK are cut off by strikes. Cornwall and Dorset have no services nor do Chester and Hull. Tube largely shut down with Uber cashing in, charging £27 for just a three-mile journey;
Business leaders say the strike action will send some small firms as well as pubs and restaurants to the wall;
Labour is in meltdown over rail strikes today as a slew of MPs ignored Sir Keir Starmer‘s orders against joining picket lines. Even his deputy Angela Rayner sided with the strikers and said ‘Workers have been left with no choice’;
SCHOOLS: A-Level and GCSE students were forced to sleep on friends’ floors or travel for up to four hours just to get to their exams this morning;
NHS: Patients were forced to miss important appointments because they could not get to their local hospitals or medical centres;

RMT union boss Mick Lynch gets into a taxi after speaking out following the UK’s biggest rail strike in 30 years

EAST LONDON: One man had enough during the strike this morning after a busy bus failed to stop to pick people waiting up

WEST LONDON: Long queues on the A40 at Perivale in West London on the first day of national rail strikes. The last time the congestion in London was at the levels seen today was during the last RMT strike on March 1

CENTRAL LONDON: A crowded bus in London at 5.30am this morning as people struggled to get to work and school due to a lack of trains

EMBANKMENT: Cycle use was up markedly in the capital today as people took to two wheels to get to work

Traffic data from TomTom showed that a 30-minute journey was taking almost an hour this morning with traffic almost 30 per cent higher than yesterday

Scargill pictured in 1986, speaking through a megaphone as President of the National Union of Mineworkers

Boris Johnson urges commuters to ‘stay the course’ during the strikes and urges ‘union barons’ to accept pay rise of offer

Boris Johnson told a meeting of the Cabinet (right) that reforms were needed on the railways.

‘We need the union barons to sit down with Network Rail and the train companies and get on with it,’ he said.

‘We need, I’m afraid, everybody, and I say this to the country as a whole, we need to get ready to stay the course.

‘To stay the course, because these reforms, these improvements in the way we run our railways are in the interests of the travelling public, they will help to cut costs for farepayers up and down the country.’

But the modernisation programme was also in the interests of workers because ‘if we don’t do this, these great companies, this great industry, will face further financial pressure, it will go bust and the result will be they have to hike up the cost of tickets still further’.

That would result in the ‘disaster’ of declining rail use, he warned.

Transport for London and Network Rail’s websites crashed under the weight of traffic this morning as people desperately tried to find a route to get to work or school.

Transport for London said that up until 10am this morning, the Underground saw 80,000 entries and exits across the network.

This was about 4 per cent of levels before the pandemic – and was also down 95 per cent on Tuesday last week.

Meanwhile there were 1.42million journeys on the buses up until 10am today.

This was around 85 per cent of pre-pandemic levels – but was up 7 per cent on last Tuesday.

The rail industry will also take a £150million hit at a time when pre-pandemic passenger numbers are yet to return. The taxpayer has also pumped in £16billion to keep the network going through the pandemic. The walkouts will hinder millions trying to get to work, stop patients attending vital health appointments and inflict undue stress on students sitting exams.

Boris Johnson warned train passengers they must ‘stay the course’ in the face of the ‘unnecessary aggravation’ caused by rail strikes.

The Prime Minister told a meeting of the Cabinet that reforms are vital for the rail industry and those who work in it.

Millions of people are suffering disruption as only a fifth of trains are running on Tuesday and half of lines are closed.

Services are generally restricted to main lines, but even those are only open between 7.30am and 6.30pm.

Around 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 13 train operators have walked out in a bitter dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.

Mr Johnson said: ‘I say this to the country as a whole, we need to get ready to stay the course.

London’s traffic is 30% WORSE today as cities are snarled by congestion caused by the strikes

There were long queues on routes into central London, TomTom travel data revealed

Traffic congestion on London’s roads was at 98 per cent in the morning rush hour today between 8am and 9am, according to TomTom data.

This is significantly up on the average of 67 per cent in 2019 and 54 per cent in 2021.

It is also a big increase of 21 percentage points on the 77 per cent level recorded at 8am on Tuesday of last week.

Today’s figure is also up by 28 percentage points on the 8am level recorded yesterday morning of 70 per cent.

Yesterday’s level was itself up on the 2019 average of 63 per cent and the 2021 average of 48 per cent.

The congestion level represents the extra travel time for drivers on average compared to baseline uncongested conditions – so a 98 per cent level means a 30-minute trip will take 29 minutes more than with no traffic.

As for other cities around Britain, traffic congestion between 8am to 9am was up in Liverpool today compared to last week (55 per cent today compared to 48 per cent last Tuesday), as well as in Newcastle (57 per cent against 50 per cent), Glasgow (44 per cent against 42 per cent) and Hull (59 per cent against 55 per cent).

However, it was down in Manchester (73 per cent today, compared to 77 per cent last Tuesday), Leeds (64 per cent against 77 per cent) and Edinburgh (67 per cent against 75 per cent).

But the modernisation programme is also in the interests of workers because ‘if we don’t do this, these great companies, this great industry, will face further financial pressure, it will go bust and the result will be they have to hike up the cost of tickets still further’, he warned.

That would result in the ‘disaster’ of declining rail use.

Usually busy stations such as London Euston are nearly deserted except for union picket lines.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said ministers would change the law so firms could bring in agency workers to minimise disruption from strikes.

He told Sky News: ‘What we will do in the future is we’ll make sure we’ve put in some additional protections in place for the travelling public, for example through minimal service levels.

‘That would mean on a day like today a certain level of service would still have to be run and through changes to allow for transferable workers, that’s a much quicker change we could take.

‘For future strikes, both in this current but also for other strikes, we are going to ensure that the law is firmly on the passengers side. One of the ways is through transferable skills, or agency workers, as you call it.

‘And there are a number of other technical changes we can make to union laws to make sure the public is always protected.’

He said law changes would be required through primary and secondary legislation.

Mr Shapps said the industrial action on the railways is ‘taking us back to the bad old days of union strikes’ as he vowed to ‘push on with these reforms anyway’.

He told Sky News: ‘I hear the unions say it’s about pay, it’s about job cuts, in fact there’s a pay offer on the table and the job cuts are by and large voluntary.

‘So it’s unnecessary, it’s taking us back to the bad old days of union strikes and they’ve walked away now from the negotiations saying they’re going to strike and calling off any chance of a resolution.

‘We’re going to have to push on with these reforms anyway.’

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch accused Grant Shapps of ‘spouting nonsense’ with plans to allow agency staff to replace striking workers.

He told the PA news agency: ‘Well, I don’t know how bringing in untrained, non-safety critical, inexperienced workers into a dangerous environment like the railway with high-speed trains, there are high voltage distribution systems, are there are rules and regulations that have the power of statute, how that will help anyone, whether they are a passenger or a worker or manager or whatever.

‘I don’t see how the use, the deployment, of students or people who have got no work experience that are working for an agency will help anyone to resolve this situation so as usual he’s just spouting nonsense given to him from some policy unit which doesn’t help to resolve the situations which re in front of us.’

GREENWICH: Lengthy traffic queues on the A102M Blackwall Tunnel approach in South East London as people were forced into their

LONDON BRIDGE: Huge queues as people waited for a bus to work as Tube and rail services were axed

A number of Labour MPs joined the pickets at Victoria Station in London. Politicians often have flats near Westminster where they stay during the week, and that are within easy walking distance of Victoria and Waterloo

MANCHESTER PICCADILLY: The north-west’s busiest railway station stands completely deserted at 8am today

KINGS CROSS: A LNER train sits on the empty platform of Kings Cross station in London this morning on the first day of the worst strike in 30 years today

WATERLOO: A few commuters stand under the world famous clock at Waterloo today as industrial action crippled the railways

VICTORIA: London’s second busiest station, serving South London and Sussex including Gatwick, was also deserted today

VICTORIA: The departures screen at Victoria that showed the level of disruption in London this morning on the Tube and railways

PETERBOROUGH: Trains in sidings near the railway station on the first morning of the nationwide rail strike

LONDON VICTORIA: Miffed commuters get off buses at the station as they battle across the capital for work

LONDON WATERLOO: Commuters arrive in London on a rare – and packed – service into the capital this morning

CAMDEN TOWN: A shuttered station on the Northern Line today as London Underground workers also walked out

PARLIAMENT SQUARE: A Boris biker and other cyclists in traffic in central London as they took to alternative forms of transport

BRISTOL TEMPLE MEADSL Union members wave RMT flags and banners as they walked out over pay

MANCHESTER: RMT members set up a picket outside Piccadilly Station this morning over pay and jobs

NOTTINGHAM: RMT strikers hold up their banner that claims they are walking out to defend the railways

NOTTINGHAM: One striker held a copy of the Socialist Worker, which claims winning the strike would be a win over the Tories

CARLISLE: RMT members stand outside a Network Rail maintenance yard in the north-west early this morning

BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET: Services from the Midlands’ busiest railway station were also decimated by the strikes

NORTH LONDON: Piccadilly Line trains at Northfields depot on the first day of three planned days of national rail strikes over pay, conditions and job security

VICTORIA: Commuters waiting for busses outside of Victoria Station due to the nation wide rail strike

MANCHESTER PICCADILLY: The platforms at Manchester’s main railway station were completely empty of trains and people

MNACHESTER CITY CENTRE: Outside the station people queued for buses to try to get around the city

Miserable commuters tell MailOnline: Unions have made our day hell

MailOnline spoke to commuters stuck at Manchester Piccadilly

John Jeffery, 32, a retail worker, said: ‘I’m actually on my way home from work and I’ve had to wait an extra half hour for my train. I’m lucky compared to others who just had their journey cancelled.

‘I’ve had to cancel my shift tonight which means I’ve lost a day’s pay which is very frustrating.

‘I can sympathise with the workers because everyone at the moment needs a pay rise and working conditions should always be satisfactory.

‘They’ve known these strikes were coming and there are no running replacement services on the buses – I had to find this out over an announcement in the station.

‘This just makes me feel like they don’t care about the rest of us trying to get to work.’

Cassie Bywater, 28, a content writer, said: ‘I’ve got to the station only to see my train isn’t coming so I’ve had to book an Uber which is going to cost me a lot of money.

‘I was aware the strikes were happening, but the information provided said a ‘limited service’. But there are no live train times for where i need to go – which is the office.

‘It’s frustrating as if I knew this I could have travelled straight from my house to the office in a taxi – and I do rely on train services a lot of the time.

‘I think this will be sorted fairly quickly as a lot of lives are affected. Sometimes the power of protest is the only way your voice can be heard, and I hope that this is sorted soon’.

Andy and Hannah Walton, a couple in their 40s, said: ‘The strike has really impacted our holiday – we’re flying from Manchester to Prague.

‘We’re flying today but had to take extra measures to make sure we get our flights.

‘We had to come up from Stoke last night and stay in a hotel as we weren’t sure if the direct train to the airport would be running – and it’s not.

‘This has cost us a lot more money which is not what we need when we’re going away.’

Colleen Smith, 54, a customer services worker, said: ‘I don’t often rely on the trains for my commute to work or rarely in the week, but I support the workers.

‘There’s good and bad sides to the situation. You see train staff tolerate so much. You can always see they are understaffed and they need more jobs and a raise of pay.

‘The other side is people are unable to get to work themselves which is frustrating. It’s affecting too many people so I believe it will be sorted soon.’

Scott Moore, 46, owner of Siphon coffee shop in Manchester, said: ‘I must admit I was a bit concerned about business today. I’m worried what the rest of the week will be like as the strikes are ongoing.

‘We typically rely on the commuters for our business. The junction up to the station is always so busy so we have a lot of people stopping in for their morning coffee usually but today it is noticeably quieter.

‘Our busiest time is 7.30am to 9am and during this period today. It’s not been as busy as we’re used to seeing – we’ve not seen any of our regulars who travel in.

‘I don’t see the workers getting the changes they want because it’s more than just the wage, They are striking for their pensions too – so this could happen again later on in the year if there’s no solution.’

Samuel Shut, 27, a barista at Idle Hands coffee shop near Manchester Piccadilly station, said: ‘It’s not the busiest today, as you can tell.

‘We do get a lot of commuters coming in here throughout the day. I expect that there will be less mid-day as I can imagine a lot of office workers are staying at home today.’

Alex Hall, 30, an assistant manager at The Green Lab cafe in Manchester city centre, said: ‘We open bright and early at 7am so a lot of the customers we rely on are travelling in and out of the city centre.

‘There’s a lot of offices in the surrounding areas who come in for their morning coffee and it was noticeably quieter this morning.

‘We don’t have staff who rely on the trains, but I used to get the trains in the work myself – the services were always unreliable.’

Commuters at Clapham Junction rail station said they have had to take long and stressful detours to get around the industrial action which will see around 40,000 staff walk out in the largest rail strike since 1989.

Lee Grout said he was travelling from East Croydon to South Acton via Richmond.

The 40-year-old sign maker said of the strikes: ‘Bit of a pain really. I got to Clapham Junction alright but the trains are running late.

‘I’m trying to get to Richmond right now. It’s taking about an extra 40 minutes to get there.

‘I was trying to get a cab but they are too expensive.’

Asked if his boss would mind him being late he said: ‘Na, doesn’t mind.’

Barber George Vlad, 26, said he doesn’t have a boss to worry about as he works for himself but being late can cause problems with customers who come to him to get their hair cut.

He said: ‘I am my own boss but I work for the customers. It’s a bit annoying for them if they are waiting. Some people understand, some do not.

‘I left at 7.45am and I’m hoping to get to work at 11am. I have my first customer at that time. Usually, I start at 9am but that is impossible today, I would have to leave at 6am.’

He said his journey to Mornington Crescent normally takes around 25 minutes.

He added: ‘I have to go to Waterloo but from there I don’t know, I’ll probably have to take an Uber.

‘I understand there is a big queue for the bus, it’s not only people on the train who are troubled.

‘This is annoying for everybody because we all want to arrive on time for work.

‘Last time it was a bit different, it was more organised and the trains and buses were quicker but they are now very delayed.’

Asked what he thinks of the strikes he said: ‘If they have a reason I think it’s OK. I think we can understand but it is a bit annoying for all of us because of course we pay a lot of money on travel.

‘If I am not wrong I think it is the most expensive in Europe.’

Michael Green, 46, who travels to Birmingham daily for work, said: ‘I do feel for the people, on both sides really.

‘The things that people have to see, when they’re clearing up legs or whatever after someone’s jumped, they deserve a bit extra. It’s probably quite taxing.

‘I’ve known people that have done some of those jobs, so I know how bad it can be. They do deserve more money for it.

‘I’ve taken the bus today and that was so busy, I hate travelling by bus.

‘It is quite annoying and I can imagine people have been negatively affected by all of this.

‘I can understand why they’re doing this, but the London Underground guys, I have no sympathy for. The money that they are paid, it may be more now but I used to work for London Midlands, they earn so much.

‘The traffic has been horrendous today, I’ve seen queues all over.

‘At the end of the day, I get what they are doing it for.

‘I don’t really like unions all that much, they go on strike too much.’

Ian Blackmore, 56, from Wolverhampton, also travels to Birmingham daily for work, was less supportive of the strikes. He said: ‘I’ve been using the train for 20 years. The car park was empty, there was no real rush to grab a space.

‘A lot of people are work from home.

‘I think it’s completely ridiculous that they’re striking, it affects so many people.

‘Not as many are taking the train these days as it is.

‘They’re just holding the country to ransom at the moment.

‘In the current climate, what they’re asking for money wise, is ridiculous. 10% or whatever.

‘I could talk forever about it.

‘On the train last night, everyone was moaning about it. They were moaning and swearing about the strikes.

‘I heard two builders saying that they’re losing £200 a day because of it.

‘I’m in a new job and I haven’t got my laptop yet, so I can’t work from home yet, like most people.

‘There’s not going to be very many of us in the office today.’

Amit Lad, 28, had his journey from Wolverhampton to Stratford-upon-Avon cancelled at the weekend and was forced to order an uber from New Street station.

He said: ‘I found out that my train had been cancelled at the weekend.

‘I’ve taken a train from Wolverhampton to here and now I’ve got to get an uber to Stratford-upon-Avon.

‘The trains were pretty quiet today, there wasn’t too much going off.

‘It was a bit annoying to find out, it forced me to make other plans.’

Another affected commuter was Charlotte Mpuzu, 22, a hospital worker.

Charlotte usually takes the train to work but was forced to use a packed bus.

She said: ‘It’s a massive inconvenience for me.

‘I’ve had to take the bus and go out of my way. It gets so busy, too. Especially as it’s a warm day, it’s not the best of things’.

Who else is set to join the summer strike contagion?

Strikes could spread across the economy in the coming months. These are the areas affected – and those which could be hit – and the unions behind the ballots.

TRANSPORT

Strikes by the RMT across three days this week will close half of the country’s rail network and reduce service to a fifth of normal levels.

The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) is also balloting thousands of staff at Network Rail and several train companies, with the possibility of strikes as soon as July.

The train drivers’ union Aslef is set to strike at Greater Anglia and the Croydon Tramlink in the coming weeks.

Unite is also balloting about 500 British Airways check-in staff at Heathrow over a refusal to reverse a 10 per cent pandemic pay cut. If workers vote in favour, strikes are likely in July – potentially ruining some summer holidays.

EDUCATION

Teachers’ union NAS/UWT will ballot members over action unless the Government backs demands for a 12 per cent pay rise. A pay award for 2022/23 is due in November.

The National Education Union has said it will ballot its 460,000 members if a pay rise in line with inflation is not offered by the Government.

HEALTHCARE

Unison, which represents NHS staff, has said strikes are possible unless the annual pay offer for them is not close to the rate of inflation. The British Medical Association, which represents doctors, has also said it will prepare for a ballot unless junior doctors are given a 22 per cent ‘restorative’ pay rise.

The Royal College of Nursing has also demanded a pay rise of 5 per cent above inflation.

CIVIL SERVICE

The Public and Commercial Services Union, which represents civil service workers, will hold a ballot in September over pay, pensions and redundancies.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

The Unison, GMB and Unite unions have said local government staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland should receive a pay increase of at least £2,000 each. Workers include rubbish collectors, library staff, teaching assistants and care workers.

Unite said it will support ‘any action’ by workers to achieve a pay rise.

LAW

Barristers have voted to go on strike in a row over legal aid funding.

The Criminal Bar Association (CBA), which represents barristers in England and Wales, said several days of court walkouts will begin from next week.

The promised industrial action, announced on Monday following a ballot of members, comes at a time of significant backlogs across the court system.

They are the latest profession to go on strike, ahead of planned action by rail workers later this week, and reports of unrest among teaching staff and NHS employees.

COMMUNICATIONS

The Communication Workers Union will ballot Royal Mail workers in a dispute over a pay rise offer of 2 per cent.

The union has also sent ballot papers to BT workers including engineers, contact centre staff and retail employees over pay. It could result in the first strike at the company since it was privatised in the mid-1980s.

PARKING WARDENS

For some commuters hit by rising fuel costs and rail strikes, it is the glimmer of a silver lining.

This month traffic wardens will start a seven-day strike in protest at pay cuts and ‘fire and rehire’ tactics.

The walkout in Wiltshire means penalty charge notices will not be issued and charges in council car parks will not be enforced, costing £30,000 in revenue.

Several Labour MPs have joined RMT pickets to show their support for rail workers taking strike action on Tuesday morning.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who had the whip removed in 2020, and several of his close supporters have shared messages of solidarity with rail workers taking part in the strikes.

‘Solidarity with @RMTunion railway workers striking up and down the country this week,’ Mr Corbyn tweeted.

‘We cannot let the profits of the rich continue to grow at the expense of workers’ jobs, wages, conditions, pensions and safety.’

Coventry South Labour MP Zarah Sultana shared a picture of herself at a picket in London, tweeting: ‘Great to join striking @RMTunion members at Victoria Station this morning alongside Socialist Campaign Group comrades.’

Richard Burgon, a former shadow cabinet member under Mr Corbyn, tweeted: ‘We can’t just keep accepting workers’ wages and conditions being driven down so that the profits of the rich are driven up.’

North of Tyne Labour Mayor Jamie Driscoll joined the picket of around 25 people outside Newcastle Central station.

He told the PA news agency: ‘What I want to see is Britain be a high-wage economy with good public services, which is exactly what the RMT is fighting for.

‘When it gets to the point where people are giving up their pay to fight for industry, something’s already gone wrong.

‘I sit on the Rail North committee and on Transport for the North and we have been warning ministers for two years that the system is creaking – they should have acted.

‘If you want Britain to be a modern, high-wage economy with world-leading services, you’ve got to fund it.

‘The fact that the Government hasn’t come to the table despite the fact this has been brewing for years is the problem.’

Ian Lavery, the MP for Wansbeck and former chair of the Labour Party, joined a picket in Morpeth, tweeting: ‘Solidarity with the @RMTunion today and all days.’

Beth Winter, the Labour MP for Cynon Valley, tweeted: ‘Complete solidarity with striking @RMTunion members today.

‘The Trades Unions are the organised working class… the workers united will never be defeated.’

Tahir Ali, the MP for Birmingham Hall Green, said he would be joining pickets later on Tuesday and posted: ‘Solidarity to all those who are out taking action to protect jobs, ensure safety, and win better pay and conditions.’

At Birmingham New Street station, a few would-be passengers and commuters were trying to work out their travel plans, gazing at timetables on their phones and the destination on the main concourse.

Carol Hutchinson, who is on her way back to the Lake District after coming off a six-hour flight from Egypt, arrived back in the UK to find her direct train from Birmingham International station cancelled.

Having made her way to New Street, she was waiting to board, with her luggage, what appeared to be one of the few trains still running.

‘I think it’s going to be standing room only… I’m not even sure I’ll get on with my suitcase,’ she said.

Gordon Martin, RMT regional organiser for Scotland, said the strike is the last resort for members and said they were looking for a ‘meaningful offer’ to resolve the dispute.

He told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme: ‘This is not the first option, this is the last resort for our members.’

Mr Martin added: ‘It’s a fight that we didn’t want, this is a defensive action by this trade union but it will be ’til we get a reasonable settlement and the members have made that abundantly clear to me and others.

‘This is a defensive measure by our members in defence of their jobs, their terms and conditions and, I would argue, the safety of the rail industry.’

Manchester Piccadilly was also largely deserted this morning.

Its platforms were empty and there were more cleaners and station staff.

Andy and Hannah Walton, a couple in their 40s, told MailOnline: ‘The strike has really impacted our holiday – we’re flying from Manchester to Prague.