but the industrial action continues. i spoke to commuters at basingstoke station in hampshire this morning. i actually usually get the train from alton, so i have actually had to get, like, a cab here, with no train running. obviously, if i can get to work, i don t get paid, so. - i am getting the train to farnborough, and my friends are picking me up from there. because there aren t any trains? yeah, no trains. but i support the strikes. so how did we get here? well, the rail industry faces pressure to cut costs. the government in effect took control of the railways during the pandemic, and the industry says changed travel habits have left a hole in its finances. the rmt says its dispute is partly about a pay rise being overdue, and also argues job security and working conditions are under threat from changes the rail employers and government are under threat from changes the rail employers and government say are needed to make the railway sustainable. and those points are interlinked
it also argues job security and working conditions are under threat from changes the rail employers and government say are needed to make the railway sustainable. and those points are interlinked, because the rail employers say their pay offers depend on changes to working practices. network rail, which looks after the infrastructure, has offered a pay rise and other benefits, but it s planning changes to how maintenance teams work that it says are modernising, but the rmt says would be detrimental. the rail delivery group, which speaks for the train companies, has proposed a pay rise with conditions attached it says will bring the railway up to date. the rmt really disagrees with some, like closing or repurposing ticket offices, and expanding driver only operation. ultimately, the government does hold the purse strings, and sets the parameters for negotiations. ministers have taken a more active role recently, saying they are trying to help facilitate a deal. but they still insist it
of a long running dispute between rail bosses and unions about pay, conditions and job security. the rmt union has accused the government of blocking rail employers from making a deal. the department for transport rejected that, saying it has facilitated talks. network rail says it s offered a fair deal and urged the union to think again. christmas eve is also a big day for restaurants, cafes and bars, as well as for last minute shopping. the problem with losing shoppers on such a key trading day like christmas eve is that you can t really recover that spend. however much you want to, however long you stay open, shoppers want to buy on christmas eve, and if they can t, they ll buy elsewhere. with many people avoiding the railways, some people have opted to drive home for christmas instead. we are seeing a lot of congestion over this period and that s because people don t want to use the rail. they are just not sure what sort of service they re going to get. we are expecting today to be
like, it has to have an impact on christmas and going home to see family and stuff. this station would usually be packed on a saturday evening, but here on the platform, you can hear a pin drop. services started winding down from around lunchtime. the last train left at about lipm, and they won t be back up and running until tuesday morning. around the country, it was a similar picture, with many people forced to change their plans. yesterday, we went to the station in york, and i don t think they were on strike yesterday, but all the trains were cancelled. then we ended up paying £65 in a taxi to get here. we booked our 3pm train and it was cancelled so we are now booked for 9:45. and this is the last train? this is the last train, and we are still worried it will get cancelled. the walk outs are part of a long running dispute between rail bosses and unions about pay, conditions and job security. the rmt union has accused the government of blocking rail employers from making a deal.
and we ended up paying £65 in a taxi to get here. we booked like 3pm train, it was cancelled so we booked for 9.45. and this is the last train? yeah, this is the last train, we re still worried that it won t get cancelled. the walk outs are part of a long running dispute between rail bosses and unions about pay, conditions and job security. the rmt union has accused the government of blocking rail employers from making a deal. the department for transport rejected that, saying it has facilitated talks. network rail urged the union to think again. the rmt dispute and the industrial action and the strikes are having a really heavy impact, both on passengers, on their own members who are losing thousands of pounds and of course on the economy, which is losing millions and millions of pounds every time there is a strike and it s damaging the railway industry as well. christmas eve is also a big day for restaurants, cafes and bars as well as for last minute shopping. losing shoppers on suc