Rail Strikes 2022: RMT announce new round of strikes in Newcastle for November

Newcastle will face renewed impact to travel in November, after the RMT announced new industrial action would take place next month. The move is set to affect Network Rail services including LNER, Northern Trains, Crosscountry Trains and Transpennine Express routes.

Despite an initial positive round of talks between the union and Network Rail, union bosses have cited a U-turn by Network Rail after an agreement was made where the company would commit to an improved offer on pay and work towards a negotiated settlement.

This deal, RMT say, was reneged upon by Network Rail who sought to impose job cuts, more unsocial hours and detrimental changes to rosters.  In an attempt to cut the union out of national negotiations, Network Rail are alleged to have written directly to staff undermining union talks and tried to rehash a previous deal that RMT has categorically rejected.

Speaking about the new round of strikes, RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “The dishonesty of Network Rail bosses has reached a new low in this national rail dispute.  On the one hand they were telling our negotiators that they were prepared to do a deal while planning to torpedo negotiations by imposing unacceptable changes to our members’ terms and conditions.”

“Our members are livid with these duplicitous tactics, and they will now respond in kind with sustained strike action.”

When are the rail strikes taking place in November?

The new round of strikes by RMT will take place on November 3, 5 and 7 2022 and will affect services undertaken by Network Rail staff.

Will there be any further rail strikes in 2022?

RMT’s current strike mandate expires on November 24, but the union has balloted its members over six further months of industrial action and has urged them to vote in favour.

If it passes, there could be more strike action until the end of May for its 40,000 members around the country, with the busy Christmas travel period potentially affected.