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After the tragic passing of Queen Elizabeth II several events and industrial strikes have been cancelled out of respect. But which strikes affecting Kent are no longer taking place?
The Queen died on Thursday, September 8, which marked the end of an era. She was the longest-reigning British monarch and her passing has been mourned across the world.
King Charles III gave his first address to the nation as Sovereign and declared a period of national mourning which will end seven days after Her Majesty’s funeral. Many sports events and strikes have been postponed or cancelled as a result of Her Majesty’s death.
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But what has been cancelled? Below we have a full list.
Have rail strikes been cancelled?
There were several strikes planned this week amid pay disputes following rising inflation and the cost of living crisis. The train drivers’ union Aslef had planned strike action on September 15 while the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association had planned to strike on September 26.
This would have caused chaos across the British railways and the last rail strikes organised by RMT caused mass cancellations across Kent, especially high-speed trains. Additionally, the Trade Union Congress has postponed its annual meeting due to take place in Brighton for four days starting Sunday, September 11.
An Aslef spokesperson said: “We express our deepest condolences to her family, friends and the country.”
Members of the RMT also prepared to strike on the 15th and 16th of September. RMT leader Mick Lynch in a statement: “RMT joins the whole nation in paying its respects to Queen Elizabeth.”
Network Rail confirmed that train services are running as normal this week. It will look at any scheduled weekend engineering works that fall within the “laying in state period” and works may be postponed if they prevent people from travelling to London to pay their respects.
Are Royal Mail workers striking?
The Royal Mail workers have also called off planned September strikes. The Communication Workers Union was planning on striking on Friday, September 9, following the day’s previous strike, but this was cancelled.
It was the biggest industrial action of the year and the first time posties walked out in almost a decade. It came after the CWU rejected a 2% pay rise, but Royal Mail says the offer is worth up to 5.5%.
Are schools still open?
Schools are expected to remain open for most of the mourning period. But the Department for Education (DoE) told headteachers to “consider conducting special activities, holding assemblies or adapting planned lessons” in honour of the Queen, Express.co.uk reports.
The DoE told headteachers: “Schools and further education settings should remain open. While normal attendance is expected, headteachers continue to have the power to authorise leaves of absence for pupils in exceptional circumstances.”
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