By Ben Stevens
More disruption is expected across Leicestershire as fresh train strikes continue to disrupt the national railway system up and down the country.
Strikes last week from October 5-7 meant that East Midlands Railway (EMR) ran a significantly reduced timetable on all of their routes, including their busy London to Nottingham/Sheffield route.
Further industrial action is expected to take place next Monday and Tuesday (OCT 17-18) by the Unite union, with EMR advising passengers to only travel ‘if necessary’ on strike days, which will affect journeys to and from Leicester.
While public support was initially quite low when the rail strikes began in June, it has slowly increased in the following months, as the cost-of-living crisis rumbles on.
Regular commuter Sarah Howard, 42, who travels between Leicester and Nottingham, said: “Although granted the strikes can be quite inconvenient, I think it is really important that people take action in order to get better pay and working conditions that they deserve.
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“There are people in this country, especially in the transport industry, that are making money far beyond what their work is worth.
“I think at a time where millions of people are struggling with paying their bills and rising food prices, it is only right that these people are challenged. I’m sure there will be more strikes over the winter in other sectors.”
Another regular user of the railway Andrew Macdonald, 49, said: “The strikes have been quite disruptive for me.
“I work a physical job, not one where I could work from home. I also don’t drive, so I have had to be paying for taxis to get to and from work.
“I understand why they are striking, but for me personally it has become a bit frustrating and often leaves me more out of pocket.”
The wave of rail strikes began on June 21 when representatives of the RMT union walked out over pay disputes and changes to working practices.
Since then, members of other transport unions including Unite and ASLEF have also begun industrial action.
Discussions between the unions, rail executives, and the Department of Transport over the summer have failed to come up with a resolution to the crisis, with union leaders warning they are “in it for the long haul.”
For the latest information on the rail strikes affecting Leicestershire visit: https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/rail-strike.
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