Sunday 26 June 2022 03:15 PM Mass strikes in August threaten to disrupt freight trains carrying Christmas ... trends now

Rail bosses have warned that this Christmas could be leaner than usual if militant Mick Lynch goes ahead with more national strikes this summer.

Industry chiefs fear that a winter crisis could be on the cards if freight trains carrying billions of pounds of presents, food and drink and festive decorations up and down the country in July and August are disrupted by further RMT walkouts.

Last week the Government largely averted a freight crisis by prioritising freight over passenger services to avoid supermarkets running out of food.

But with 1970s-style firebrand Lynch threatening further strike action - potentially as early as next month - and a surge in shipping containers of goods from China imminent, rail bosses warned: 'If this strike escalates, then it might not be the Christmas our children are hoping for'.

Sources told the Telegraph: 'As the year goes on freight gets busier, particularly containers, so that's the big worry. The China surge will come in. And those ships are sailing now.

'It always gets busier as you go into August, particularly when we start seeing the Christmas stuff start to come through. Because obviously if you're selling it in October, you're shipping it in August, September. So the Christmas surge isn't December, it's well ahead of that'.

Richard Ballantyne, chief executive of the British Ports Association, said ports were bracing to be inundated with shipping containers from China in the coming weeks and hoping to avoid the supply chain chaos witnessed during the Covid lockdown.

He added: 'Moving forward we are going to approach those busy pre-Christmas periods. It could be particularly unhelpful for further strike action then.'

It also emerged that last week's strikes forced many rail enthusiasts to miss train convention Rail Live in Stratford-upon-Avon. One source told The Sun: 'How stupid the RMT chose to strike when such a big exhibition was held for rail staff'. A female attendee added: 'It was empty as no one could get there, which was ironic'.

And dozens of student doctors had their exams yesterday cancelled at the 11th hour because of the disruption caused by Lynch's rail strikes.

Students were told by email at 5pm on Friday that post-graduate Practical Assessment of Clinical Examination Skills exams were postponed as a result of 'short notice examiner unavailability due to a combination of Covid cases and travel disruption'. They had already made arrangements for travel and accommodation for the exams at Southampton General Hospital, the Telegraph reported.

It comes as:

More than 50,000 members of the RMT union walked out yesterday for the third time this week, with little sign of a breakthrough in discussions between the union and rail operators.

Only a fifth of services are running and half of the lines are closed. Passengers have been warned by rail operators that they should only travel by train if necessary and to check their journey in advance.

Lynch said the union has not ruled out further strikes given there is little sign of a breakthrough to the deadlocked row.

Speaking to the PA news agency at a picket line outside Euston Station in central London yesterday morning, he said: 'We're not ruling out strikes but we have not put down any dates for any strike action.

'We're going to review with our national executive next week, who have been all the way round the country this week on the picket line, so we're all going to get together the leadership of the union and see where we are.

'We are not going to name dates immediately and we're going to continue working constructively with the companies to strike a deal, but that is a really steep challenge at the moment because of the agenda they've got and the effects they want on our members.

'Strike action's not ruled out and it will have to take place if we do not get a deal, but we're hoping that we can get a deal and we get some compromise.

'What we try to do is have the most effective strike action if it needs to take place. We're not just pretending. It's got to be a coherent and effective strike action because we don't want to waste our members' energy on something that doesn't work. We'll review that and see what we need to do if we need to take that action.'

Lynch also hit out at the Government, saying many ministers have 'never done a hand's turn'.

He said: 'They're not using the system that they want and they've never worked in this type of work.

'Many of them have never run a business, but they've also never worked on the tools. As my mother would say, they've never done a hand's turn.

'It's quite odd. The people who are running this country are brought up on a diet of Latin and Greek and our members are brought up on a diet of getting up at ungodly times to run the transport system. I think there's a bit of disconnect there.

'If we had people who were used to doing work we might get a better deal out of them.'

Later, Mr Lynch spoke at an RMT rally outside King's Cross St Pancras station, alongside Labour MP Diane Abbott and actor Rob Delaney.

Several hundred people gathered with many holding placards reading slogans like: 'Tories out', 'cut profits not pay' and 'support the railway workers strike.'

Meanwhile songs like the 'Internationale' workers anthem and 'Solidarity Forever' played from speakers on a makeshift podium.

Ms Abbott told the crowds: 'We've seen the private sector ripping off the public purse, bearing down on wages and conditions, undermining job security and we've seen a public sector that is increasingly demoralised.

'But the RMT is drawing a line in the sand against all this and offering leadership to working people everywhere and that is why it is so important that the RMT wins this dispute.'

Meanwhile, Delaney told the crowds the strike was 'inspiring' and called RMT's action the 'tip of the spear'.

'I offer my unwavering support and solidarity,' he said.