Staff from key industries are striking on multiple dates across December and early January, meaning many Christmas services will be cancelled or massively reduced. From no trains running on Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, paramedics only attending life-threatening call outs and Royal Mail packages being severely delayed, the festive period is due to be hugely disrupted by strikes across multiple sectors.
Rail workers and Royal Mail staff have been making the headlines for the past few months with planned strikes, and now even more workers will be joining them over Christmas with numerous unions taking action in a way which is designed to have an enormous impact. Here are all the strikes happening across December and early January in Essex, London and nearby areas.
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- December 7: London bus workers at Abellio start a two-day walkout.
- December 9: Communication Workers Union (CWU) members at Royal Mail who collect, sort and deliver parcels and letters to strike across the UK. Bus workers with Abellio and Metroline in London will stage a walkout.
- December 10: Workers on Metroline bus services in London to strike again.
- December 11: Royal Mail workers will stage a national strike again.
- December 13: Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union members on Network Rail and 14 train operators to start a 48-hour strike. Civil servants in the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union started a month-long strike, with workers in different agencies and departments walking out on different days. The first day includes staff in the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) customer service centre.
- December 14: RMT strikes to continue, affecting services across the UK. Royal Mail workers will walk out on another national strike. RPA staff continue their walkout.
- December 15: Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will go on strike. Bus workers with Abellio in London will stage another walkout. Royal Mail workers to strike again. RPA staff continue their walkout.
- December 16: RMT rail workers to stage another 48-hour national strike. The union will also see members working as security guards on Eurostar staging a 24-hour strike. Ground handlers employed by private contractor Menzies at Heathrow Airport, who are members of Unite, will walk out from 4am for 72 hours. Bus workers for Abellio and Metroline in London to go on strike. RPA staff continue their walkout.
- December 17: Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) members who work for c2c to walk out. Workers on Metroline bus services in London to strike again. The RMT rail workers’ walkout continues. Unite ground handlers at Heathrow continue their strike.
- December 18: RMT members working as security guards on Eurostar to stage another walkout. Unite ground handlers at Heathrow continue their strike.
- December 19: RPA staff resume their walkout.
- December 20: RCN members will stage another nurses’ strike. RPA staff continue their walkout.
- December 21: Ambulance workers and other NHS staff will stage a strike coordinated by the GMB, Unison and Unite. RPA staff continue their walkout.
- December 22: Railway cleaners across the country with the RMT union to launch a strike. National Highways workers begin a walkout in London and the South East. RMT Eurostar security staff to stage another walkout. RPA staff continue their walkout.
- December 23: Royal Mail workers will walk out in another day of national strike action. The RMT railway cleaners’ national strike continues. RMT Eurostar security staff to stage another walkout. The National Highways workers’ strike continues in London and the South East.
- December 24: RMT railway workers will stage another strike from 6pm on Christmas Eve. Royal Mail workers to continue national strike action.
- December 25: The RMT rail strike will continue, although no train services run on Christmas Day.
- December 26: The RMT rail strike will continue, meaning limited Boxing Day services are likely to be cancelled.
- December 27: The RMT rail strike continues until 6am.
- December 28: Ambulance workers and other NHS staff in England and Wales will stage another strike. The DVSA driving examiners’ strikes will start in the West Midlands, the Eastern region and the East Midlands
- December 29: The DVSA driving examiners strike continues in the West Midlands, Eastern region and East Midlands.
- December 30: The DVSA strike continues in the West Midlands, Eastern region and East Midlands.
- December 31: RMT railway cleaners will stage another strike.
- January 1: RMT rail workers will stage another 48-hour strike. National Highways workers to stage two-day action in all areas of the country. The DVSA strike continues in the West Midlands, Eastern region and East Midlands.
- January 3: RPA staff will resume their walkout.
- January 4: The DVSA driving examiners’ strike starts in London, the South East, South Wales and the South West. The RMT rail workers’ strike continues. UK-wide National Highways strike continues. RPA staff will continue their walkout.
- January 5: The DVSA strike continues in London, South East, South Wales and South West. RPA staff continue their walkout.
- January 6: RMT rail workers will stage another 48-hour strike. National Highways workers to stage a two-day action in the East Midlands and eastern England. The DVSA strike continues in London, South East, South Wales and South West. RPA staff to continue their walkout.
- January 7: The RMT rail workers’ walkout continues. National Highways workers will continue their strike in the East Midlands and eastern England. The DVSA strike continues in London, South East, South Wales and South West.
- January 8: The DVSA strike continues in London, South East, South Wales and South West.
- January 9: The DVSA strike continues in London, South East, South Wales and South West. RPA staff continue their walkout.
- January 10: The DVSA strike continues in London, South East, South Wales and South West. RPA staff continue their walkout.
- January 11: RPA staff will continue their walkout.
- January 12: RPA staff continue their walkout.
- January 13: RPA staff continue their walkout.
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