The 2022–2024 United Kingdom railway strikes were an industrial dispute between rail workers and companies, with the latter supported by the UK government. The rail workers were represented by several unions including the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF). The railway strikes commenced on 21 June 2022 after workers walked out over wages, threat of redundancies and planned changes to working practices (the removal of guards from trains, ticket office closures, and age changes to rail cards). The industrial action was the largest in the sector since 1989, and involved 40,000 workers nationwide. The dispute lasted for two years and ultimately resulted in victory for the unions, with improved pay deals concluded region by region. The last dispute was resolved in London in November 2024.
The dispute took place amid political interference by Conservative governments which blocked resolutions in England, and passed laws to restrict industrial action. They were unable to block a deal in Scotland and Wales as transport is devolved in those jurisdictions; as a result those disputes were resolved by the RMT in December 2022, and by ASLEF in May 2023. The Conservatives refused to negotiate in England until their defeat at the 2024 general election. Negotiations resumed with the incoming Labour government, and the last disputes outside of London were resolved that September. ASLEF suspended its London strike action in November and declared victory, ending the strikes. A concurrent dispute within Avanti West Coast continued until its resolution in March 2025, but this was not part of the wider regional issue.
Background The rail network of Great Britain has operated under a franchising system since its privatisation in 1997, with services in England, Wales, and Scotland being run by a number of operating companies. (Northern Ireland's network is managed separately.) Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the UK government relieved the companies of their franchises to protect them from financial harm, and issued new contracts that made rail revenue a government concern. Around £16billion of public money was also given by government to support the railways during the pandemic. With revenue from train fares having fallen by an estimated £2billion as a result of COVID, Network Rail and the various train operators were told to make savings. National negotiations for a wage increase for rail workers were ongoing, but with the Department for Transport (DfT) stating this had to be "with clear direction from government about the modernisation that needs to be achieved".
Modernisation programme The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) has claimed that Network Rail is threatening to cut safety-critical jobs (an allegation rejected by Network Rail) as part of its modernisation programme, which would also include an increase in working hours. In 2022, rail workers also asked for a 7% pay rise to keep up with rising inflation (which stood at 9.1% in June 2022), but were initially offered 2%, with an extra 1% linked to redundancies. Critics of the strike, including Network Rail, point to changing commuter habits, such as a reduction in ticket office use, as well as more working from home since the COVID-19 pandemic, and passenger numbers continuing to be significantly below pre-COVID levels. The need for efficiency improvements and an end to outdated practices has also been highlighted, cited examples include requiring teams of up to nine people to do a job that could be completed by one person, and "walking time" of up to 12 minutes for staff members walking from their duties to the mess room during their breaks. On 23 June 2022, The Guardian reported it had seen documents confirming rail operators planned to "repurpose" all ticket offices within 18 months, requiring customers to buy every ticket online or via a ticket machine. The documents reportedly also contain plans to hire new employees on inferior terms and conditions, including a requirement they work on Sundays and work for longer to qualify for a pension. According to The Guardian this is linked to a maximum 3% pay rise.
Government response While discussions have been ongoing between the RMT and the various train companies, the UK Government initially took a hands-off approach to negotiations. Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport until 6 September 2022, under the second Johnson ministry, said that it was not the government's job to negotiate with unions over pay and conditions. This stance has drawn criticism from RMT union officials, such as General Secretary Mick Lynch, as well as some politicians, including Conservative MP Jake Berry, who urged the government to join discussions. On 30 July 2022, Mick Whelan, General Secretary of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF), another rail union involved in a dispute over pay and conditions, said during an appearance on LBC that he had not spoken to the Secretary of State for Transport for over two years, saying the last time they had spoken was "very early on in the pandemic".
Initial ballot Following a ballot of National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers members over whether to take industrial action, it was announced on 24 May 2022 that they had voted in favour of strike action, paving the way for the UK's first national rail strike for three decades. Workers at Avanti West Coast, c2c, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Greater Anglia, Great Western Railway, London North Eastern Railway, Northern Trains, Southeastern, South Western Railway, TransPennine Express and West Midlands Trains voted to strike, with 71% of those balloted taking part in the vote; of those 89% voting in favour of strike action and 11% against. The ballot at Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern did not support strike action but supported industrial action short of a strike. Mick Lynch, General Secretary of the RMT said the decision "sends a clear message that members want a decent pay rise, job security and no compulsory redundancies". The action would see the largest outbreak of industrial action in the United Kingdom since 1989, and the first national strike involving the UK's railways since 1994, when signal workers walked out over a pay dispute with Railtrack.
Industrial action Nationwide period (2022-23) Initial strikes
On 7 June, initial strike dates were announced for 21, 23 and 25 June, with rail employees at Network Rail and 13 train operators joining the action. It was also announced that the 21 June strike would coincide with a planned 24-hour strike to be held by workers on the London Underground. Talks between the RMT and managers at the train operators affected were held in an attempt to avoid the strike, but after these reached impasse, on 18 June it was confirmed the rail and tube strikes would go ahead. Last-ditch talks on 20 June also failed to reach an agreement, meaning the strike would go ahead the following day, with talks breaking down after Network Rail management informed the RMT of its intention to consult on plans for 1,800 redundancies. The 21 June walkout involved 40,000 rail staff, as well as 10,000 workers from London Underground. A further round of talks on 22 June also concluded without resolution, leading to a second day of industrial action on 23 June. It was reported on 24 June that talks remained deadlocked, meaning a third day of industrial action was inevitable. On 30 June, the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) confirmed its members at Avanti West Coast had voted overwhelmingly for strikes and action short of a strike, ostensibly over the same issues that had triggered the RMT dispute, with 86% voting for strike action and 91% voting for action short of a strike on a 91% turnout. The union said it also planned to ballot staff at Network Rail and other train companies who operate at stations along the West Coast Main Line.
Summer 2022 talks and further action Talks between the RMT and Network Rail resumed on 30 June, with union leaders warning of further strike action if the consultation, scheduled to begin the following day, was to go ahead. The RMT argued the regulations were incompatible with their demand for no compulsory redundancies. Members of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) at eight train operators voted to take strike action in a dispute over pay, while members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) at Southeastern also voted to take industrial action on 11 July. Network Rail made a fresh pay offer the following day, which it said was worth more than 5%, but that was again linked to workers accepting "modernising reforms". They refused to make any further improvements on their pay offer, and made threats on redundancies and pay if strike action was not withdrawn. On 13 July, the RMT announced a fourth day of strike action after rejecting Network Rail's latest pay offer, which it described as "paltry". In a press release on 22 July, the RMT union additionally accused Network Rail of "threatening to impose compulsory redundancies and unsafe 50% cuts to maintenance work" if strike action was not withdrawn. On 14 July, ASLEF announced that train drivers at eight train companies – Arriva Rail London, Chiltern Railways, Great Western Railway, LNER, Greater Anglia, Southeastern, Hull Trains and West Midlands Trains – would strike on 30 July, involving around 5,500 union members. RMT strikes at Network Rail and 14 train operators were announced for 18 and 20 August, with the TSSA later announcing it would also strike on these two dates. On 30 July, 5,000 members of ASLEF at eight rail companies, including Southeastern and West Midlands Trains, staged a 24-hour strike. On 5 August, Network management staff belonging to the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association voted to accept a 4% pay rise, meaning the railway network would be able to continue providing a skeleton service on strike days.
A fifth day of RMT strike action went ahead on 18 August, with Network Rail signal workers from England, Scotland and Wales also joining the industrial action. RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch warned that the dispute could go on "indefinitely" unless a pay settlement is reached. Additionally, RMT members in London planned to stage a 24-hour strike on 19 August, effecting the majority of services in London. The RMT staged their sixth day of nationwide strike action on 20 August. Shapps said that a revised pay deal worth 8% was on the table, but that the union bosses would not put this proposal to their members. He urged the RMT to accept what he described as a "fair" deal, but Lynch said that "only half the people in this dispute" would be covered by the deal. On 25 August, train drivers at Chiltern Railways, Northern Trains and TransPennine Express belonging to the ASLEF union voted to take strike action in a dispute over pay and conditions.