Though it has died down a little with new deals being offered, the first part of 2023 has been filled with a variety of strikes. Students have been affected by university staff strikes, as well as many travel plans being disrupted. As we head into the Easter holidays, many will be asking if there are train strikes in April.
Already, students’ Christmas plans were sent into disarray after rail strikes throughout December. This continued into January and further strikes were planned throughout 2023.
This was the case not just for rail workers, but teachers, nurses, ambulance staff and more. All were demanding fairer working conditions and increased pay, amongst other things. Though some deals have been made, many students will be worrying that their Easter break plans to travel home will be disrupted once again.
Rail Strikes Had Been Planned For March And April
Already this month, train strikes had been held on the 16 and 18 of March. This was nationwide, affecting services such as Great Western, and West Midlands. Even the London Underground suffered from multiple strikes held this month.
More industrial action has been planned for Thursday, March 31 and Saturday, April 1 in a fight to settle disputes once again. However, these have now been suspended as a new offer had been submitted by the Rail Delivery Group. It hopes that the proposal will finally resolve the ongoing dispute and that no more train strikes will be had.
It’s worth noting that ‘suspended’ does not mean cancelled. Though trains are expected to operate as normal this week, the strikes could still happen.
Are There April Train Strikes Over Easter?
No, there are no train strikes happening across Easter weekend or any planned for the holidays. Unions must give 14 days’ notice of planned industrial action, meaning no train strikes will occur until at least April 11.
However, many services in South East England will be disrupted as major works take place across Easter weekend. Students planning to travel from here on Good Friday will want to plan in advance to make sure their journey is as smooth as possible. Coming back to university, work is also taking place between April 28 and May 1.
You can learn more about the affected areas here.
Just because there aren’t train strikes in April, doesn’t mean that travel plans won’t be disrupted by strikes.
Those who are travelling further afield, whether to go on holiday or to see family abroad will need to take Heathrow strikes into account. Beginning this Friday (March 31) and lasting for 10 days, almost 1500 security guards are walking out. The action is set to majorly disrupt British Airways at the UK’s biggest airport, with up to 32 flights a day cancelled over Easter weekend. Already, there are reports that BA has stopped selling plane tickets for strike days and already cancelled 5 per cent of flights over the period.
The Heathrow strikes will affect short-haul flights, meaning journeys of less than 3 hours. Those flying long haul should not be affected by industrial action.
For the majority of university students, plans to travel home for the holidays should have no problem doing so. However, it is also best to keep up to date with plans for strikes in April in case anything changes.
