Train strikes will affect the UK from the 21st to 25th of June (Photo credit - Roman Fox via Unsplash).

Three 24-hour rail strikes have been called for late June by rail workers – and one of them is due to happen the same weekend as Glastonbury Festival.

The protests by The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) have been called after talks over pay, redundancies, and safety fell through. 

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Railway workers have been treated appallingly and despite our best efforts in negotiations, the rail industry with the support of the government has failed to take their concerns seriously.

“We have a cost-of-living crisis, and it is unacceptable for railway workers to either lose their jobs or face another year of a pay freeze when inflation is at 11.1% and rising.

“Rail companies are making at least £500m a year in profits, whilst fat cat rail bosses have been paid millions during the Covid-19 pandemic.” 

The three strike days will be Tuesday 21, Thursday 23 and Saturday 25 June – the middle day of the Glastonbury Festival – and will affect services for Chiltern, Cross Country, Greater Anglia, LNER, East Midlands, c2c, Great Western, Northern, South Eastern, South Western, TransPennine, Avanti West Coast and West Midlands, as well as having a minor effect on Scottish and Welsh railways.  

Because the strikes will halt work for 24-hour periods, overnight work – such as maintenance and returning trains to depots – will also be disrupted. This means services on Wednesday and Friday will also be affected.

A skeleton daytime service will run across most routes, so check train times before planning your travels. 

East Midlands Railway said in a statement: “The RMT union has confirmed strike action on June 21, 23 and 25. This will have an impact on the level of service which East Midlands Railway is able to operate. We are finalising our timetables and will share very shortly.”

In a separate dispute, RMT members on the London Underground will also strike on June 21. 

In a tweet, the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, called the strike action ‘very disappointing’ and said that his department was ‘working with the industry to reduce disputation caused by strikes.’ 

Refund and ticketing advice can be found on the National Rail website.

Glastonbury-goers took to social media to give their reactions.