Half of UK Rail Network Shuts Down as Christmas Strikes Bite
Nearly half of Britain’s railway lines are set to be shut all day as 48-hour strikes by Network Rail and 14 train operators kick off. The walkout, over pay, jobs, and working conditions, will hit huge swathes of the country including most of Scotland and Wales. Commuters and festive travellers face major chaos.
Posties Stage Fresh 48-Hour Walkout
The postal strikes continue to pile on the festive turmoil. Communication Workers Union (CWU) members will launch a new 48-hour national walkout on Wednesday – the third of six strike days running up to Christmas. Royal Mail has already pushed back the Christmas card posting deadlines to December 16 for first-class and December 21 for special delivery guaranteed.
Nurses on Strike Amid Pay Row, Cancer Care at Risk?
Nurses across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland are walking out on Thursday after pay talks with the government hit a dead end. The UK’s top nurses and NHS cancer chief have urged the union to limit disruption to vital cancer treatments and end-of-life care.
“Our common goal is to ensure we do not cause harm to people undergoing vital cancer treatment to achieve cure or extension of life,” wrote Dame Cally Palmer, NHS England’s cancer director.
The Royal College of Nursing hit back, insisting emergency cancer surgery and urgent care will proceed unaffected. “This is a politically motivated smear from a government that is failing cancer patients,” said a union spokesperson.
Amid mounting concerns, chemotherapy sessions have already been rescheduled on strike days at some hospitals. Chief nurses also want guarantees that community nursing providing palliative care for terminal patients continues uninterrupted.
The RCN has now agreed to expanded strike exemptions including emergency cancer services and urgent paediatric A&E departments. “The safety of patients is everyone’s top priority,” said the union.
More Strikes Across Civil Service and Healthcare
- Civil servants in the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) – including driving examiners and Rural Payments Agency staff – continue strikes, with rolling action planned in Scotland and northern England from Tuesday.
- Physiotherapists in England and Wales have voted to strike for the first time over pay, with walkouts expected early next year.
- Midwives and maternity support workers in Wales, part of the Royal College of Midwives, have also backed strikes over pay disputes.
- The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) rail union members at CrossCountry will strike on Boxing Day and December 27.
With millions of workers hitting the picket lines, this winter’s wave of strikes is set to create unprecedented chaos for commuters, patients, and Christmas shoppers alike.
