Rail strikes UK latest: August train walkout dates confirmed as Brits’ summer holiday plans are plunged into chaos

Flight disruption to come

Ryanair flight attendants have staged walkouts throughout July and are now planning five more months of strike action.

The budget airline’s walkouts will start from August 8, and run every week until January 7.

Ten Spanish airports will be affected, including Madrid, Malaga, Barcelona, Alicante, Sevilla, Palma, Valencia, Girona, Santiago de Compostela and Ibiza.

EasyJet pilots announce nine days of strikes next month

The strikes were announced by Spanish pilot union SEPLA and will affect three airports in the country.

The strikes will come into effect during the following days:

August 12-14, the second from August 19-21 and the third and final strike will be from August 27-29.

Airports and airlines scramble to fill job vacancies

Airports and airlines are scrambling to hire more workers from pilots to security and border control staff and baggage handlers after many left during the COVID-19 crisis.

Industry executives say it is hard to recruit for often physically demanding, relatively low paid work at airports often located out of town. Training new hires and getting them security clearance to work at airports also takes months.

Earlier this year, Schiphol agreed to pay 15,000 cleaners, baggage handlers and security staff 5.25 euros ($5.50) extra per hour during the summer

'Standstill traffic' is reported at the Dover boarder

It is thought travellers have been left waiting in their vehicles for hours just to cross over.

Reportedly,  Immigration Services Union general Secretary, Lucy Moreton, believes Brexit is to blame.

Jacob Rees Mogg, told LBC in an interview, that if delays were going to happen it was going to be in France.

He said there is "no need for checks at Dover."

'Cancelled flights and endless queues' are just the 'tip of the iceberg'

Exclusive by Jane Moore.

Jane Moore investigated the travel chaos, and found some shocking information.

For Channel 4s Dispatches, Jane Moore uncovered the truths behind the travel chaos gripping the UK at the moment.

She wrote for The Sun: "We hear from a whistle-blower who says pilots feel under pressure to fly when fatigued."

A Wizz Air pilot told Jane: “There’s a shortage of crew and to avoid ­cancelling flights they encourage staff to work harder.

“There’s pressure for us to help out by flying on our days off . . . also a summer bonus scheme that encourages pilots to fly more hours.

“You can report sick if you are fatigued but you will lose financially if you do."

In for the LONG HAUL: Chaos could continue till end of 2023, says airport boss

The CEO of Heathrow airport has warned the current chaos passengers is experiencing is no where near finished with.

As the travel industry adjusts to seeing customers of pre-covid levels, demand for flights has outweighed available staff, leading to cancellations and delays.

John Holland-Kaye told Bloomberg, that unfortunately the chaos could last for around 18 months.

He told Christopher Jasper that "this is not going to be a quick fix."

Manchester airport passenger's clamber across conveyor belts to retrieve luggage

Wild scenes were captured on camera as passengers grew tired of waiting for hours for their luggage to arrive.

Images have been shown on Channel 4's Dispatches as people climbed through the conveyor belt and onto the other side to help baggage handlers load luggage!

Dockworkers at Britain’s biggest container port vote to strike over pay

Staff at the port of Felixstowe have voted to walk out after rejecting a five per cent pay rise.

Unite union says the offer amounts to a pay cut given soaring inflation.

The Suffolk port handles 40 per cent of containers which arrive in the country.

 The union said any strike would bring Felixstowe to a standstill and “inevitably create huge disruption across the UK’s supply chain”.

It is the latest blow in a summer of discontent, with rail union boss Mick Lynch calling for a general strike if Liz Truss becomes PM.

General secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite is focused on defending the jobs, pay and conditions of its members and we will be giving 100 per cent support to our members at Felixstowe.

"Workers should not be paying the price for the pandemic with a pay cut.”

Click here to read more.

Gridlocked motorists play table football and hold a PARTY on the M6

Brits' weekend plans were in tatters as staff at seven train firms launched a 24-hour walk-out in a dispute over pay.

The strike by members of rail union Aslef has seen journeys across country axed - with desperate sunseekers forced to take to the road instead.

But increased traffic left motorways jam-packed with massive tailbacks.

Congestion was so bad on the M6 that some stir-crazy drivers got out their cars and began a roadside rave.

Footage shared on showed that the group started a raucous party with a live brass band.

Click here to read more.

Grant Schapps branded a liar by Aslef

The transport secretary called the strikes "unofficial" in a recent Tweet, and Aslef hit back.

He said that Avanti West Coast passengers could expect disruption on Sunday.

Schapps Tweeted: "UNOFFICIAL STRIKES: Passengers using Avanti West services should expect disruption today.

"Archaic rules from 1919 mean working on rest days is voluntary.

"Unions now stopping drivers volunteering – causing misery for public & staff who won’t get paid. We MUST modernise rail.”

Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, replied to the tweet, saying: “Grant Shapps is a liar. He is not only wrong, he knows he is wrong.

“His propensity to lie is just one reason why he could not get enough backers to get in the ballot to become Tory party leader. That and the fact that he is not very good at his job.

“The truth is that the company does not employ enough drivers to deliver the services it promises passengers it will run. The company, and the minister, should stop lying and start recruiting.”

When are the confirmed strike dates in August?

Rail strikes are likely to carry on affecting Brits for the coming month, with RMT planning action on these dates:

• August 13
• August 18
• August 20

Four ways to avoid holiday chaos this summer

Exclusive comment by Kara Godfrey

If you are going on holiday this summer, it is likely that you will run into a few problems along the way.

On my last two trips abroad, I experienced both cancelled flights and missed connections due to delays.

However, there are some ways to make sure you are prepared for anything to go wrong by risk-proofing your well-deserve break.

Here are the four things I make sure to do before travelling to give my holiday the best chance of running smoothly – and you should too.

Read more here.

Hitachi says it has a contingency plan to deal with strikes

Train firm Hitachi says it has a contingency plan in place to help mitigate strike action by some of its workers.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union walked out on Sunday for three days in a dispute over pay and conditions.

Hitachi said only 5% of its maintenance workforce were taking action.

?A Hitachi Rail spokesperson said: "We are disappointed at RMT's decision to carry out industrial action, especially as the industry is attempting to encourage people back onto the railways.

"We will continue to work with RMT to find a solution and urge them to continue the negotiations.

"In the meantime, we have contingency plans in place to mitigate any potential impact on passenger service and ensure the highest levels of safety are maintained."

Airports and airlines scramble to fill job vacancies

Airports and airlines are scrambling to hire more workers from pilots to security and border control staff and baggage handlers after many left during the COVID-19 crisis.

Industry executives say it is hard to recruit for often physically demanding, relatively low paid work at airports often located out of town. Training new hires and getting them security clearance to work at airports also takes months.

Earlier this year, Schiphol agreed to pay 15,000 cleaners, baggage handlers and security staff 5.25 euros ($5.50) extra per hour during the summer.

EasyJet pilots to hold Spain-wide strikes for nine days this month

Spain-based pilots at Easyjet said on July 29 that they will strike for nine days in August.

No further information on the proposed strikes dates has been given - but pilots will strike from the bases in Barcelona, Malaga & Palma in Mallorca.

Meanwhile, the Spain-based cabin crew at Easyjet have suspended their strike planned for July 29-31 after it reached a deal with the company.

The workers went into strike previously in July, first on July 1 to 3 and again from July 15 to 17, which caused some flight cancellations and delays for the budget airline

Ryanair Spanish cabin crew to strike four days a week until JANUARY

Ryanair's Spanish cabin crew union members plan to strike four days a week until January to press demands for higher pay and better working conditions, the USO union said on July 27.

The strike action, also backed by Sitclpa, will take place from Monday to Thursday every week from Aug. 8 to Jan. 7.

Ryanair workers also caused disruption at many Spanish airports during July, when they walked out for several days, mainly on weekends.

Saturday's rail strikes over jobs and conditions were 'solidly supported'

A strike by train drivers was "solidly supported" on Saturday amid a fresh clash between unions and the Government over the bitter pay, jobs and conditions dispute.

Passengers suffered another day of travel misery as thousands of members of Aslef at seven train companies staged a 24 hour walkout.

The union said it has received an offer from Transport for Wales for a 6.6% pay rise which it will put to its members.

Picket lines were mounted outside train stations and Aslef said strikers were receiving support from the public.

General secretary Mick Whelan clashed with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, accusing him of lying.

He told the PA news agency: "The strike today was solid. That shows the solidarity of our members and their determination not to be pushed around by Grant Shapps, the Department for Transport, and the train companies.

"After keeping Britain moving during the pandemic, they expect our members, who have not had an increase in pay since 2019, to keep working, effectively for a pay cut.

"All we are asking for is an increase in line with the increase in the cost of living - soaring inflation is not the fault of working people in this country, it's the fault of this government and its inept handling of the UK economy.

"Shapps holds the key to this but, true to form, he is blustering and ducking and diving, and looking to blame everyone else, indeed, anyone else, for the problems he has created.

"He could solve this in an instant by allowing the train companies to come to the table with a sensible offer and negotiate with us."

Avanti West Coast says cancellation likely to continue until dispute is resolved

A train company is warning about cancellations with little notice to its services next week, despite a union denying it was taking industrial action.

Avanti West Coast said unofficial action by drivers means it is facing "multiple short-notice cancellations" on its network from Monday.

The drivers' union Aslef strongly denied its members were taking action this week.

Aslef members at Avanti will strike on August 13 as part of the long-running dispute over pay and conditions but the union said nothing else is planned before then.

Avanti said in a statement that cancellations were likely to continue until the current industrial dispute is settled.

"Customers are urged to check their journey on our website before coming to the station, and should be prepared for services to be disrupted at short notice and be very busy.

"We are sorry for the enormous frustration and inconvenience this will cause our customers, and condemn the drivers' actions.

"We urge them to engage in meaningful talks around modernising working practices and developing a railway fit for the 21st century."

Which train companies are part of RMT?

With more strikes coming this August, it will be important to know which rail services are striking.

So, here is a list of the train companies associated with RMT.

The RMT strike companies are:

• Network Rail
• Avanti West Coast
• c2c
• Chiltern Railways
• Cross Country Trains
• East Midlands Railway
• Great Western Railway
• Greater Anglia
• GTR (including Gatwick Express)
• LNER
• Northern Trains
• South Eastern
• South Western Railway
• Transpennine Express
• West Midlands Trains

Sacked Labour minister says Keir Starmer should 'absolutely' become PM

A former Labour shadow minister sacked after giving broadcast interviews from a picket line has said he "absolutely" still thinks Sir Keir Starmer is the best person to become prime minister.

Sam Tarry was sacked from the frontbench on Wednesday hours after joining strikers at an RMT picket line at Euston Station.

Joining another picket line at Paddington station in London on Saturday, the former shadow transport minister said it was "really important" for Labour MPs to show their solidarity with striking workers.

It came as members of Aslef in seven train companies walked out for 24 hours, crippling services in many parts of the country.

Mr Tarry told the PA news agency: "I believe Keir Starmer is absolutely still the best person to become prime minister and I'll be campaigning every day for a Labour government."

He added that the Labour Party needed a "fundamental recalibration" of its relationship with the trade union movement and needed to demonstrate it was on their side.

Statement from BT group on today's strike action

A BT Group spokesperson said: "At the start of this year, we were in exhaustive discussions with the CWU that lasted for two months, trying hard to reach an agreement on pay.

"When it became clear that we were not going to reach an accord, we took the decision to go ahead with awarding our team members and frontline colleagues the highest pay award in more than 20 years, effective 1st April.

"We have confirmed to the CWU that we won't be reopening the 2022 pay review, having already made the best award we could.

"We're balancing the complex and competing demands of our stakeholders and that includes making once-in-a-generation investments to upgrade the country's broadband and mobile networks, vital for the UK economy and for BT Group's future - including our people.

"While we respect the choice of our colleagues who are CWU members to strike, we will work to minimise any disruption and keep our customers and the country connected.

"We have tried and tested processes for large-scale colleague absences to minimise any disruption for our customers and these were proved during the pandemic."

The industrial action will be the latest in a wave of strikes sweeping the country involving union members including railway workers, Post Office staff and refuse collectors.

BT and Openreach workers hold second pay strike

Thousands of BT and Openreach workers will go on strike again on Monday in a dispute over pay.

Members of the Communication Workers Union, including call centre workers and engineers, will walk out for 24 hours following action on Friday.

The union will mount picket lines outside company offices across the country and are asking people to bring food which it will deliver to local food banks.

The strike is against a £1,500 pay increase for all employees, which the CWU says means a real terms wage cut because of the soaring rate of inflation.

CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: "Since BT Group workers have been forced to take historic strike action in defence of their standard of living, just like in the pandemic, working-class people will step up to the plate when employers and politicians fail, and are ready to put need before greed.

"We urge all sympathetic members of the public to attend picket lines in their area and chip in to help out others."

CWU deputy general secretary Andy Kerr said: "On Friday, BT Group workers took strike action and received overwhelming support from the public.

"They showed their strength, but on Monday they will show their generosity.

"When corrupt politicians and overpaid bosses fall way short of the mark, it is working people who look after other working people.

"I have no doubt the public will show their support to workers and struggling families by turning up to picket lines, dropping off goods and standing side by side with people fighting for dignity."

Flight disruption to come

Ryanair flight attendants have staged walkouts throughout July and are now planning five more months of strike action.

The budget airline’s walkouts will start from August 8, and run every week until January 7.

Ten Spanish airports will be affected, including Madrid, Malaga, Barcelona, Alicante, Sevilla, Palma, Valencia, Girona, Santiago de Compostela and Ibiza.

Make sure your travel insurance covers you

While Brits have their GHIC or EHIC cards, it is vital to have travel insurance as well, even if only going to Europe.

Travel insurance is needed for a number of issues out of your control such as being stranded if your flight is cancelled or your airline loses your luggage.

Not only that, but any large medical bills won't be covered unless you have travel insurance, as long as the policy includes it.

Here are the nine things travel insurance WON'T cover you for.

Top tip - Travel with just hand luggage

If you can avoid checking your luggage, this can also make you holiday much easier if you can abide by the liquid rules.

This means you can go straight to security if you have printed out your boarding pass online.

It also means, if you have any connections, it is less likely to get lost somewhere between flights.

Just make sure you are at the front of the queue for your flight if you do, as some airlines have limited space in the overhead lockers.

Here are some of our top tips for travelling with hand luggage only.