Leeds train strikes: when is it, all rail companies affected by national strike & why are they striking?

Leeds train station will see limited service in October as another nationwide rail strike is set to take place.

RMT rail workers from 14 train companies as well as Aslef train drivers from 12 companies will walk out over pay, terms and conditions and jobs on Saturday 1 October 2022, resulting in major disruption to train services on the day as well as surrounding dates.

Aslef members from 12 train companies will also walk out on Wednesday, 5 October.

RMT has announced yet another walkout with 40,000 members which will bring train traffic to a halt on Saturday, 8 October.

Three strike dates were planned in September, but they were cancelled when news about the Queen’s death was released.

Here is everything you will need to know about travelling via train during October’s strike dates by Aslef and RMT.

Why are RMT and Aslef union members and National Rail workers going on strike?

Much like the previous strike action that’s taken place in 2022, the main reason  for  the October strikes is pay issues during the rising cost of living and working conditions.

The trade unions have been in talks with officials at Network Rail over a pay increase matching the current rate of inflation and crippling cost of living crisis currently going on in the United Kingdom.

Both had been in deep-rooted conversation since the biggest rail strikes in 30 years took place over three days in June 2022.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Transport workers are joining a wave of strike action on October 1st, sending a clear message to the government and employers that working people will not accept continued attacks on pay and working conditions at a time when big business profits are at an all-time high.

”The Summer of Solidarity we have seen will continue into the Autumn and Winter if employers and the government continue to refuse workers reasonable demands.

“We want a settlement to these disputes where our members and their families can get a square deal.  And we will not rest until we get a satisfactory outcome.”

Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said: “We would much rather not be in this position. We don’t want to go on strike – withdrawing your labour, although a fundamental human right, is always a last resort for this trade union – but the train companies have been determined to force our hand.

“They are telling train drivers to take a real terms pay cut. With inflation now running at 12.3% – and set, it is said, to go higher – these companies are saying that drivers should be prepared to work just as hard, for just as long, but for considerably less.

“The companies with whom we are in dispute have not offered us a penny. It is outrageous that they expect us to put up with a real terms pay cut for a third year in a row. And that’s why we are going on strike. To persuade the companies to be sensible, to do the right thing, and come and negotiate properly with us. Not to run up and say, ‘Our hands are tied and the government will not allow us to offer you an increase”.

“Train drivers kept Britain moving – key workers and goods around the country – throughout the pandemic and we deserve to be treated better than this. That’s why we are calling on the companies – which are making big profits, and paying their chief executives enormous salaries and bonuses – to make a pay offer to our members to keep up with the rise in the cost of living.”

How are train services in Leeds affected and what train companies are striking?

The national strike action taken by RMT and Aslef members  will lead to severe disruption from the train lines affected in Leeds.

The train companies affected by industrial action are:

• Avanti West Coast

• Chiltern Railways

• CrossCountry Trains

• Greater Anglia

• Great Western Railway

• Hull Trains

• LNER

• London Overground

• Northern Trains

• South Eastern Railway

• South Western Railway

• Transpennine Express

• West Midlands Railway

• East Midlands Railway

• GTR (including Gatwick Express)

What services will be operating in Leeds on Saturday, 1 October, Wednesday, 5 October and Saturday, 8 October?

Train companies that will walk out on strike that operate in Leeds are LNER, East Midlands Railway, Cross Country Trains and TransPennine Express.

It is highly recommended to check the timetable to make sure your  train departs as planned.

Train operators are yet to announce more details on how trains will operate throughout the two days of industrial action, and this article will be updated once more information is announced.