The first national rail strikes since the 1980s began in June 2021. Since then, members of the main rail union, the RMT, have walked out on dozens of occasions. The dispute is with the 14 train operators who are contracted by the government to run rail services, mainly in England, which run the key intercity and commuter services.
The following month the RMT were joined by the train drivers’ union, Aslef, which has staged 14 days of strikes as well as seven stretches of bans on rest-day working.
