Weekend travel chaos as another day of strikes leaves just a fifth of train network running

19 August 2022, 22:52 | Updated: 20 August 2022, 09:11

Another day of strikes will take place on Saturday as the dispute between rail unions and train companies shows no sign of stopping.

Having vowed this week to keep going for as long as it takes, rail workers will again walk out on Saturday – hot on the heels of Thursday's strikes and Friday's public transport disruption in London.

Unions have accused the transport secretary Grant Shapps of blocking negotiations that would settle the long-running dispute over pay, conditions and jobs – and in their latest criticism suggested he was attempting "fire and rehire" policies.

Network Rail said about 20% of the rail network will be open on strike days, and a limited service will run on lines between 7.30am and 6.30pm. Disruption will knock-on into Sunday.

Mr Shapps and rail firms want unions to allow modernising reforms onto the railways, and suggested he could impose changes using "Section 188" powers as unions continue to refuse to buckle.

"What I do know and I can say for sure is if we can't get this settled in the way that we are proposing, which is, 'Please put the deal to your membership', then we will have to move to what is called a Section 188; it is a process of actually requiring these changes to go into place so it becomes mandated," he told Sky News.

"That is the direction that this is moving in now."

But one of the unions striking on Saturday, the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), said Section 188 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act requires employers to consult unions but not impose changes.

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Such notice had been given out by Network Rail after it proposed to cut up to 1,900 jobs in the industry.

"Many of the changes being proposed require big changes to people's contracts of employment including rosters, more night shifts and working practices. These require agreement between unions and the employer. This is another reason we are on strike," said a spokesman.

Manuel Cortes, TSSA general secretary, said: "This is yet more desperate stuff from Shapps intended to distract from the real issues in the rail dispute. He's now actively advocating fire and rehire.

"Grant Shapps is touring TV studios spouting anti-worker nonsense when it's actually within his gift as Transport Secretary to resolve this dispute."

Mick Lynch, whose Rail, Maritime and Transport union members are among those striking, said: "Mr Shapps has no authority to issue Section 188 notifications as he is not the legal employer but now seems intent on forcing through fire and re-hire on rail workers despite previously claiming that he had nothing to do with negotiations between the employers and the unions.

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"Despite his denials Mr Shapps has clearly been dictating how the train companies should conduct negotiations with RMT and now he's ordering them to fire and re-hire workers.

The Department for Transport previously said unions will not agree “a deal that will bring our railways into the 21st century” and added: "It's clear strikes are not the powerful tool they once were and union chiefs are no longer able to bring the country to a standstill as, unlike them, the world has changed and people simply work from home."