Rail disruption continues as commuters return from Christmas break to fresh strikes – business live | Business

Full story: travellers face disruption as rail and Border Force staff take strike action

Kalyeena Makortoff

Passengers are steeling themselves for further travel disruption across the UK as rail and Border Force staff launch a fresh wave of strikes affecting thousands heading home after Christmas.

Border Force staff at Britain’s largest airports, including those in passport control, resumed action over pay, jobs and working conditions on Wednesday. The 1,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) are striking for four days until New Year’s Eve.

Civil servants were being called in to help military personal covering striking workers at airports including Heathrow and Gatwick in London, as well as Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester, and the port of Newhaven.

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The Daily Mail reports today that rail union and industry bosses are ‘nearly there’ in their efforts to agree a pay deal, with RMT union boss Mick Lynch having apparently softened his stance and become more ‘deal-minded’ than before.

Asked about this, TSSA organisating director Nadine Rae reiterates that the government should give train operators the green light to ‘freely negotiate’.

She tells the Today programme:

Things have not changed since before Christmas in terms of a deal.

It’s still within the government’s gift to ensure the employers can freely negotiate with us, and can put together a deal that’s acceptable to our members, and affordable to employers.

Q: But is it too optimistic to say that a deal is ‘nearly there’?

It’s not optimistic if the government allows the employers to freely negotiate, Rae replies, adding:

It’s the government that needs to shift this situation, and we really want them to. We know the disruption is frustrating for people.

Nadine Rae, organising director at the TSSA union, says government interference has undermined negotiations with train operators over a pay deal.

Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme, Rae explains that TSSA’s members are very hopeful that a deal can be reached with their employers, as the union reached an agreement with Network Rail this month (on a minimum 9% pay rise, job security to 2025, and guarantees on terms and conditions).

Rae says the government has to give permission to the train operating companies to put a deal forward to the union, and “that is where things have been stuck”.

The TSSA held almost four weeks of talks with the train operators before Christmas, she says, adding:

Whilst we thought those talks were progressing, what came out of it at the end was something completely different from what we were talking about.

Which says to us that the government has interfered with the negotiation process.

Q: If the government came up with the money, are you ready to accept changes to working practices that already take place in some parts of the rail network?

Rae says TSSA members are “absolutely realistic” that change is required in the railway, and want to engage on the issues properly, with deep and proper discussions and consultation.

There isn’t “resistance to change”, she insists, but those changes should leave people with job security, and be safe.

Currently, the negotiations are being used to “lever change through” without that proper consultation happening, Rae adds.

Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets, and the world economy.

UK commuters could face travel disruption as they return to the office following the Christmas break, as industrial action by rail workers continues.

Members of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) at Great Western Railway and at West Midlands Trains are holding a 24-hour strike from noon today.

West Midlands says its services will not operate today, or tomorrow, due to the TSSA industrial action.

Great Western expects to operate a significantly reduced level of service until Friday, warning that trains are expected to be very busy.

It has advised passengers to check their journeys before travelling, especially if travelling late at night, as some short-notice alterations or cancellations are likely.

There were chaotic scenes yesterday at some railway stations, with hundreds of passengers stuck in long queues at major stations on Tuesday and others facing lengthy delays due to overrunning engineering work.

One traveller spoke of “chaotic” scenes and another described fights breaking out as “masses” of people waited in the cold for rail replacement buses on the Avanti West Coast line between Manchester and London.

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TSSA members at CrossCountry held a strike from 9pm Boxing Day to 9pm last night.

The TSSA say the strikes at these three operators will cause severe impact on rail services expected, especially in the Midlands and South West.

Travellers arriving in the UK could face longer waits at passport control today. Border force staff at six UK airports are resuming their strike today, in a dispute over pay.

Around 1,000 members of the PCS union will walk out until New Year’s Day, at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow airports, and the port of Newhaven.

The UK border will remain open, with armed forces staff bein drafted in to help, but passport checks may take longer than usual.

This follows a Border Force strike before Christmas. Our home affairs editor Rajeev Syal revealed on Saturday that the soldiers and sailors covering for striking staff at passport control do not have the power to detain people they suspect of criminal activity

Leaked emails showed that people suspected of crimes such as carrying a false passport, drug smuggling, people trafficking and victims of modern slavery cannot be stopped by members of the armed forces if they hold valid travel documents.

Instead, a separate intervention has to be sought for suspected serious criminals or their victims from a fully trained Border Force officer.

Driving examiners are launching a five-day strike today, part of escalating industrial action by civil servants in a dispute over pay, jobs and pensions.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) in 71 test centres in eastern England and the Midlands will walk out.

They are employed by the Driver and Vehicles Standards Agency (DVSA) as driving examiners and local driving test managers.

The strike action may affect car driving tests, motorcycle tests, lorry, bus, coach and minibus driving tests, tractor or specialist vehicle driving tests, approved driving instructor (ADI) driving ability or instructional ability tests, or ADI standards checks, or basic training checks for moped and motorcycle users.

The agenda

• Noon GMT: US weekly mortgage applications

• 3pm GMT: US pending home sales for November

• 3pm GMT: Richmond Fed manufacturing and services indices