When are the next rail strikes in September and which other workers alongside train staff are preparing to walk out?

TRAIN passengers face further disruption this month as railway workers announce strikes for September.

Strikes or ballots for industrial action are being announced on an increasingly regular basis as workers across numerous sectors escalate their demands for better pay, amid grim forecasts over the cost of living crisis.

Union members from Network Rail are expected to walkout from noon on Monday 26th September for 24 hours, leading to disruption on services across the country.

Disputes involving railway workers, barristers, nurses, other NHS staff and Royal Mail employees are expected to continue through the autumn unless agreements over pay and working conditions can be reached between management and union bosses..

September 5th will signal the start of an indefinite strike by barristers in England and Wales protesting at Government-set fees for legal aid work.

On 8th and 9th September Royal Mail workers in the Communication Workers union will strike again over pay before ballots open on 15th September among nurses represented by the Royal College of Nursing, who are talking about striking in England for the very first time.

Pat Cullen, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, said: “Nursing staff will stop at nothing to protect their patients. Staff shortages are putting patient safety at risk and the government’s failure to listen has left us with no choice but to advocate for strike action.

“A lifetime of service must never mean a lifetime of poverty. Ministers’ refusal to recognise the skill and responsibility of the job is pushing people out of the profession. The next prime minister must change course urgently.”

Unite is also currently asking its NHS members to vote on possible strike action, while at the end of the month a national strike ballot also opens of Public and Commercial Service union members over pay, pensions, jobs and redundancy terms.

The RMT, which has led a number of national rail strikes since the spring in its dispute with the government over pay and working conditions for more than 30,000 members, has also not ruled out further strikes this side of Christmas if a deal cannot be reached.