Railway workers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action across Network Rail and the train operating companies.
The RMT Union announced the outcome of the vote yesterday evening, and confirmed that 71% of its 40,000 members took part in the vote, with 89% voting in favour of strike action and only 11% voting against it.
RMT members working for Network Rail and 14 out of 15 of the train operators voted for “strike action and action short of strike”.
The Union has called it “the biggest endorsement for industrial action” by railway workers since privatisation, and says it will now be demanding “urgent talks” with Network Rail and the 15 train operating companies that were balloted to find a negotiated settlement to the dispute over pay, jobs, and safety.
It’s thought that services could be reduced to around a fifth of the normal weekday timetable.
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It is also possible trains will only run for part of the day, such as from 7am to 7pm, and only on main lines too, although this is only speculation at this point.
RMT declares overwhelming mandate for national strike action on railways Railway workers have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action across Network Rail and the train operating companies.https://t.co/xaa6nORJTUpic.twitter.com/DyYrMwjcus
“This overwhelming endorsement by railway workers is a vindication of the union’s approach and sends a clear message that members want a decent pay rise, job security and no compulsory redundancies,” said Mick Lynch – General Secretary at RMT Union.
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“Our NEC will now meet to discuss a timetable for strike action from mid-June.
“But we sincerely hope ministers will encourage the employers to return to the negotiating table and hammer out a reasonable settlement with the RMT.”
Northern was one of the balloted train operators with workers voting in favour of strike action, as well as Avanti West Coast, Transpennine Express, and other major operators including Greater Anglia, GWR, LNER, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains, and South Western Railway.
Sources say if strike action does go ahead, it would cost the rail industry around £30 million each day.
89% of balloted RMT Union members voted in favour of strike action / Credit: Northern
Three issues are said to be at the heart of the dispute for the union – pay, compulsory redundancies, and safety concerns.
Speaking on the outcome of the vote, Steve Montgomery – Group Chair of the Rail Delivery Group, representing train operators – said: “Our railways must adapt to attract more passengers back and reduce our running costs [and] it is not fair to ask taxpayers to continue to shoulder the burden when there are other vital services that need public support.
“Nobody wins when industrial action threatens to disrupt the lives and livelihoods of passengers and businesses and puts the industry’s recovery at risk.
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“We urge the RMT leadership to behave responsibly, and to talk to us to find a way to avoid damaging industrial action and secure the long-term future of the industry.”
RMT Union has called it “the biggest endorsement for industrial action” by railway workers since privatisation / Credit: Network Rail
He added that every business wants to support its staff, and “the railway is no exception”.
“All train operators want to offer their staff a pay rise and are working hard to make that happen. But, as an industry, we have to change our ways of working and improve productivity to help pay our own way,” he continued.
“The alternatives of asking taxpayers to shoulder the burden after government has contributed over £16 billion to the industry during COVID, or asking passengers to pay even higher fares when they too are feeling the pinch, simply isn’t fair.”
Featured Image – Network Rail
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Hundreds of staff at four Greater Manchester hospitals to strike AGAIN next week
Emily Sergeant
Another round of strikes has been called at a handful of major Greater Manchester hospitals.
Amid ongoing disputes following the first set of strikes at the end of last month, it has now been announced that more than 350 Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust (NCA) employees – including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers – who are members of the union UNISON will once again walk out for three days next week.
According to the union, the dispute centres on the NCA’s use of an outside agency called NHS Professionals (NHSP) to manage overtime.
When covering staff shortages, workers are entitled to time-and-a-half pay – however in some cases, staff earn less than they would on a normal shift, and some have even been missing out on more than £80 per shift, the union added.
Operating theatre staff were previously on picket lines in June, and although an option to resolve the row was initially tabled by NCA bosses, this has now fallen through.
Hundreds of staff at four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals are set to strike next week / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
This means that staff at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary, and Fairfield Hospital in Bury are walking out next week on Monday 14, Tuesday 15, and Thursday 17 September.
The union’s North West regional organiser, Kevin Dolan, said the trust had given ‘no indication’ that it’s willing to re-enter negotiations, adding that operating theatre services were ‘chronically under-staffed’ and staff were choosing to work extra shifts to cover shortages.
Ahead of the August strikes, the trust declared a critical incident to help it secure extra support and keep urgent surgery running, while also announcing that some procedures would have to be postponed.
Understandably, some disruption is expected at each of the hospitals on strike days.
But Gertie Nic Philib, who is the chief people and strategy officer at the Northern Care Alliance, said that the trust will do ‘everything we can to minimise the impact on patients’ and ‘maintain high standards of care and quality at all times.’
“We also have contingency plans in place for emergency situations,” they concluded.
Featured Image – Pxhere
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Stockport man jailed for life after kidnapping and sexually assaulting teenage girl
Emily Sergeant
A Stockport man has been sentenced to life in prison after kidnapping and sexually assaulting a teenage girl on her way home from the library.
Paul Sharpe has been sentenced to life imprisonment with an eight-year minimum term in prison after being convicted of a number of offences when subjected a teenage girl to what police called a ‘terrifying ordeal’ that lasted several hours back in May 2026.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that the victim had been studying at Sale Library before beginning her journey home with friends at around 5:50pm and contacting her parents at 6:10pm to let them know she was on her way.
Twenty minutes later, she spoke to her boyfriend on the phone and said she was approximately five minutes away from home, but that her phone battery was about to die.
This was the last contact received from the victim that evening.
While walking along Bradgate Road in Altrincham, the victim noticed a grey Ford parked nearby and a man wearing a high-visibility jacket pressing doorbells in the area.
As she walked past, Sharpe approached her from behind, placed her in a headlock and threatened to stab her if she did not get into his vehicle.
Concerned that their daughter had not returned home, the victim’s family contacted police at 9:22pm to report her missing, and officers immediately launched an investigation to locate her.
Over the next several hours, the victim was subjected to and placed in a number of terrifying situations.
Sharpe drove the victim to several locations across Greater Manchester and Cheshire, before police located and arrested him at around 3:40am on 19 May 2026.
Following his arrested, 56-year-old Sharpe was convicted of kidnap, committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence, sexual assault, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, threats with a bladed article, and administering a noxious substance with intent to injure, annoy or aggrieve.
“This was a terrifying ordeal for a young girl who was simply making her way home,” explained Detective Inspector Karl Perry, from GMP’s Criminal Investigation Department.
“Sharpe targeted a vulnerable victim, subjected her to hours of fear and intimidation, and went on to sexually assault her.
“The victim has shown immense courage throughout the investigation and court proceedings. Through her bravery and actions, she no doubt made it harder for Sharpe to carry out whatever acts he had planned.”
Emily Sergeant -
25th May 2022 
