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When people look back on the summer of 2022 they are likely to remember two things: record-breaking heat that saw temperatures pass 40ºC for the first time, and strikes.
Industrial action has disrupted key services for months – from trains and buses to bin collections – as unions fight to secure acceptable pay offers and conditions for their members amid the cost of living crisis.
Soaring inflation has led to a decline in real-terms pay, leaving millions of households worse off and struggling to make ends meet.
Unions have resorted to walk-outs in an attempt to strengthen their positions, and the action is far from over.
Here are all the strikes currently planned for September.
Rail strikes
Rail workers are set to stage two more strikes in September, as disputes over pay and conditions rumble on.
The first will involve drivers who are members of the Aslef union at 12 companies.
The second has been called by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), and the third, called by the TSSA union, will involve staff at nine rail companies, as well as National Rail.
The Aslef strike will be all day on Thursday 15 September.
This will clash with the RMT strike, which has been organised for Thursday 15 September and Saturday 17 September.
The TSSA strike will begin at midday on Monday 26 September. It will last 24 hours, meaning it will end on midday Tuesday 27 September.
The RMT strike is likely to affect the entire network.
The Aslef action on 15 September will affect the following operators:
- Avanti West Coast
- Chiltern Railways
- CrossCountry
- Greater Anglia
- Great Western Railway
- Hull Trains
- LNER
- London Overground
- Northern Trains
- Southeastern
- TransPennine Express
- West Midlands Trains
Workers are the following nine companies are set to walk out in the TSSA action, along with staff at Network Rail:
- TransPennine Express
- West Midlands Trains
- Avanti West Coast
- c2c
- CrossCountry
- East Midlands Railway
- Great Western Railway
- LNER
- Southeastern
The companies are yet to publish their timetables, but expect services to be significantly disrupted, as they have been during previous action.
Tube strikes
Londoners can expect more Tube strikes after union bosses objected to a new funding deal between the Government and Transport for London (TfL), though dates are yet to be set.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said the deal, announced on Tuesday 30 August, would affect London Underground workers’ jobs, pay and pensions.
Unions must give two weeks’ notice ahead of a strike, meaning that any action will not be called until at least mid-September.
The most recent Tube strike was on Friday 19 August, with the majority of services grinding to a halt, while buses in west London were affected by a separate walk-out.
The funding deal agreed by the Government bails out cash-strapped TfL with £1.2bn, but still requires cuts to some services.
More on Strikes
Driverless trains, which have been supported by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, have been included in the deal.
TfL said the agreement would allow it to avoid the “managed decline” of London’s transport network. However, Mayor Sadiq Khan warned it was “far from ideal” and still left a £600m shortfall in the budget.
Mr Lynch said: “This deal negotiated in secret by TfL and Government ministers will likely see our members pensions attacked and further pay restraint in the future, coupled with driverless trains.
“Grant Shapps’ attack on Tube workers would be unacceptable at any time, but in an escalating, cost-of-living crisis it is shameful and will be resisted through further strike action.”
Royal Mail strikes
Royal Mail workers are striking on:
- Thursday 8 September
- Friday 9 September
The action is organised by the Communication Workers Union (CWU), and involves roughly 115,000 employees.
Royal Mail said the union has rejected a pay rise offer “worth up to 5.5 per cent” after three months of talks.
The CWU is demanding a rise more in line with inflation, which is currently at 9.4 per cent and is expected to reach 13 per cent later this year.
Royal Mail said letters will not be delivered on strike days.
The company has apologised to customers, but says it has plans to minimise the disruption.
In a statement it said: “Royal Mail has well-developed contingency plans, but they cannot fully replace the daily efforts of its frontline workforce. We will be doing what we can to keep services running, but customers should expect significant disruption.”
On days when strike action is taking place, Royal Mail says it will:
- Deliver as many special delivery and tracked 24 parcels as possible
- Prioritise the delivery of Covid test kits and medical prescriptions wherever possible
- Not be delivering letters (with the exception of special delivery)
Items posted the day before, during or in the days after any strike action will be subject to delay.
Royal Mail said it cannot guarantee delivery of all special delivery items by 9am or 1pm next day, so it is suspending the regular guarantees while strike action is occurring.
The company is advising people to:
- Post items as early as possible in advance of the strike dates
- Continue to post items at post boxes or Post Offices, but be aware collections will be less frequent on days when strike action is taking place.
Barrister strikes
Barristers in England and Wales have voted to go on an indefinite uninterrupted strike starting on Monday 5 September.
The strike means virtually all criminal court cases will be unable to proceed.
The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) is in a dispute with the Government over pay and cuts to Legal Aid.
Criminal barristers were offered a 15 per cent pay rise, due to come into effect in September, but the CBA is asking for a 25 pay cent increase in pay for Legal Aid work.
The CBA rejected the Government’s offer, saying it would not apply to existing cases.
The association said the walk-outs have had a “devastating impact on the ability of our Crown courts to function with any semblance of normality”.
It added: “It is a decision to which we have been driven after years and years of abject neglect of the criminal justice system and the cynical exploitation of our time, effort and goodwill by successive governments determined to deliver justice on the cheap.”
School worker strikes
School and nursery staff in nine Scottish council areas will strike over pay from Tuesday 6- Thursday8 September.
Schools will be disrupted in Aberdeenshire, Clackmannanshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, Orkney, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire and Stirling.
Unison said a total of 13,000 members would be involved in the action, including catering staff, cleaners, caretakers, teaching assistants and early years practitioners. The GMB union is also involved in the action.
It has been confirmed that all primary schools and nurseries in Glasgow will close during the strike.
Families who receive free school meals will be sent a payment to cover the three days.
Secondary schools will remain open, but with no breakfast, cooked lunch or after-school clubs.
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