Workers celebrate as series of train strikes mean they won't return to the ... trends now

As the country braces itself for a month of chaos amid impending rail strikes, workers have found some solace at least in being able to work from home and not step foot in the office again until the New Year.

Rather than despair over the worst spell of unrest for decades amid walkouts planned by rail workers, nurses, ambulance staff, postal workers and airport staff among others over pay and the impacts of inflation and the cost-of-living crisis, many have taken to social media to actually celebrate not having to do the daily commute for the next month. 

Network Rail has warned that services will be limited, overcrowded or cancelled until at least January 8 as RMT union members strike for 11 days over the holiday season. 

One Twitter user described the situation as 'a dream', while @Ohheyphilz said: 'Train strikes pretty much all week next week meaning I can go in once then it's wfh till the new year.'

Meanwhile @just-laus jested that 'WFH is dangerous, I haven't left the house since Monday and from looking at the frost outside now, I won't be leaving today either!' 

Also not lamenting the situation, @woolers1972 wrote: 'The trains have always been awful. Long before the strikes. I gave up commuting a while ago because the journey to and from work on the trains was the worst, most stressful part of my day.

'Most people can easily work from home now so strikes are the the problem they once were.' 

According to the latest statistics from LinkedIn, one in three Londoners were working from home between January and March of this year, equating to just under two million employees.

The UK also remains second in the world for the number of work-from-home roles, just behind the US, pointing to a shift in attitudes towards flexible and home working since the pandemic.

But @lfoley54 made the point that not everyone has flexibility over where they work, posting: 'The only people you hurt are British workers who can't work from home'

Businesses in central London will also be hurt from the strikes, said @andystock22. 

'Many outer London businesses benefit from strikes (sic) days, as most people decide to work from home. Train strikes are a complete disaster for pubs & restaurants in London.'

The RMT is set to shut down the railways in two 48-hour strikes from Tuesday and Friday, wrecking the plans of millions for the weekend before Christmas and costing high streets hundreds of millions of pounds.

Services will be disrupted every day for at least a month, Network Rail warned travellers last night.

Additionally, an unprecedented overtime ban for train operating staff, in effect from December 18 until January 2, will lead to thousands of more cancellations.

RMT boss Mick Lynch has accused the Government of 'torpedoing' pay negotiations. 

But Tory MP David Jones said: 'The unions should consider that by going for such hefty pay settlements, they will not only stoke inflation but also make Christmas miserable at best, and dangerous at worst.'

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt made similar comments in an interview with the Financial Times, in which he warned trade unions not to jeopardise Britain’s recovery, noting that high pay demands will affect the fight against inflation and damage the workers they are trying to help.

Mr Hunt did not deny that ministers had blocked a possible 10 per cent pay offer to rail workers spread over two years.

A subsequent 8 per cent offer was immediately declined by the RMT union.

The independent Office for Budget Responsibility believes inflation will drop to 3.7 per cent in the first part of 2024, falling from October’s 11.1 per cent.

Mr Hunt warned that this 'very dramatic' drop could be jeopardised unless unions, especially in public services, moderated their pay demands.

'If we make the wrong choices now, we won’t have that 3.7 per cent of inflation in January or February of 2024 and this will change from being a one-off problem to being a permanent problem,' he said.

'We just have to be really careful not to agree to pay demands that have the opposite of the intended effect because they lock in high inflation.'

Rail workers are not the only ones striking however.  Up to 100,000 Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members will stage a walkout on Thursday for the first time in the union's 126-year history, causing huge disruption to the NHS. 

As many as 15,000 operations could be postponed next week due to the NHS walkouts. And more than 100,000 outpatient appointments could also be affected by the strikes, analysis by The Daily Telegraph suggests. 

NHS trusts were instructed to ensure all affected patients are notified of the scheduling changes by Tuesday. Later cancellations should only occur in 'exceptional circumstances.'

Hospitals were also instructed to reschedule cancelled appointments as soon as possible. But the NHS' notoriously long waiting lists have left some sceptical that they will be given new appointments soon.

An insider told The Daily Mail: 'If there are strikes they will have an impact on patients. Many aren't going to get the care and treatment they need. Unions should think again.' 

Elsewhere, Royal Mail industrial action has already played havoc with the Christmas post and it will continue on Wednesday and Thursday. 

Postal service bosses warned customers that they had just two days to post gifts second class in time for Christmas Day. 

And some Christmas cards will reportedly not be delivered until February, it was claimed. 

Next week's strikes will also extend to workers at Heathrow, some bus companies, Eurostar and National Highways. 

MPs fear the 'coordinated' disruption will prevent carers reaching the elderly and force patients to cancel hospital appointments. 

MailOnline takes a look at how your Christmas plans are set to be affected by the strikes 

Nurses - December 15, 20 

Nurses are set to walk out of A&E and will refuse to provide treatment to cancer patients for two days this month.

Up to 100,000 nurses will take industrial action on Thursday, December 15, and Tuesday, December 20, in a row over pay and staffing levels.

In a formal letter to NHS bosses, the Royal College of Nursing warned it would only commit to providing 'life-preserving care' on strike days. Services which do not meet this criteria include hospital discharges, radiotherapy and maternity services.

The union is demanding the Government offer nurses a pay rise of 17.6 per cent, which has been dismissed as 'unaffordable' by the Prime Minister. The default position will be that nurses will walk out of A&Es unless trust bosses persuade them they cannot deliver a safe service without them.

Nurses are required by law to maintain a minimum staffing level to keep patients safe.

Therefore, some nurses will be exempt from the strike to provide this minimum level of service. The exact numbers remaining on the job will be negotiated locally between the RCN and each NHS Trust/Board.

Previous strikes by NHS staff have led to the cancellation of non-emergency ops and appointments. If your appointment is already scheduled for days where action takes place, it could be cancelled because it is probably not classified as urgent. Whether an individual appointment is axed or not will depend on if the date falls on a strike action day, and if nurses at the trust are walking off the job.

Another factor is how long the dispute between the Government and the union runs.

Some appointments not on strike days may also be delayed because more urgent procedures cancelled need to be prioritised.

The RCN handbook says nursing provision during the strike should be equal to the skeleton staffing for Christmas Day, although the NHS says it has well-tested procedures to limit disruption.

Emergency nurses in A&E and intensive care will keep working, as will

read more from dailymail.....