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Families have been urged to hit the roads early for their Christmas getaway as National Highways staff go on strike today, kicking off days of travel chaos.
Staff at the government firm, which manages and maintains the UK’s biggest roads, have walked out of their jobs and will not return until Boxing Day amid a dispute over pay.
Industrial action by union workers is also set to cripple the rail network, with some trains set to stop running from Friday despite national strikes not starting until Christmas Eve.
While there is chaos on the roads and railways, there will also be trouble for those trying to enter and leave the country over the festive period as Border Force workers go on strike for eight days before the New Year from tomorrow.
Traffic officers at National Highways are on strike until after Christmas amid a dispute over pay
Millions of Britons will take to the roads in the coming days as they travel to see family and friends over the festive period
The combined action is set to make the coming days extraordinarily difficult for millions of people who are travelling to see family at Christmas.
It comes after a week that saw nurses and ambulance workers both go on strike as their unions feud with the Government over pay, creating additional chaos in the already stretched National Health Service.
Travel experts have urged people to start their Christmas journeys ‘as early as you can’ in a bid to avoid unwanted disruption.
Simon Calder told Good Morning Britain: ‘I’ve never known a Christmas quite like this for travel stress.
‘My advice is start as early as you possibly can.
‘Towards the end of the week and on Christmas Day it’s going to get very very trick, with the roads being very crowded.
‘And the railways, well, services will end either on Friday night or pretty early on Saturday.’
Today’s action by members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) sees traffic officers and regional operating centre workers in London and south-east England walk out of their jobs.
National Highways – which was previously called Highways England – plans, designs, builds and maintains the UK’s busiest routes, including motorways and a number of A roads.
The AA is predicting widespread disruption on the roads, with 20million car trips set to take place in the run-up to Christmas Day amid walkouts on the railways.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: ‘We’re aware our action is likely to inconvenience travellers but, even as we escalate it ahead of Christmas, we remind people this dispute could be resolved today [yesterday] if the Government puts more money on the table.
‘Our members are telling us they have to cut back their spending at Christmas time because they are running out of money. They have been offered a below-inflation pay award, at a time when inflation is higher than 10 per cent.’
Strikes at National Highways will continue after Christmas, when traffic officers in the West Midlands and south-west England hold industrial action on December 30. This will then reach the East Midlands and eastern England on January 6.
All PCS members who work as traffic officers for National Highways will walk out of their jobs on January 3 and 4.
The AA is predicting widespread disruption on the roads, with 20million car trips set to take place in the run-up to Christmas Day. Pictured: The M25 in Dartford, Kent
People travelling through airports in the coming days could face long delays as Border Force staff go on strike
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), pictured here outside Euston Station, will go on strike from Christmas Eve
Members of the PCS union who work for the Border Force will go on strike from tomorrow, adding to the chaos.
Around 1,000 staff who work at Britain’s airports, ports and the Channel Tunnel, will walk out between December 23 and 26, and again from December 28 to 31.
The Government has drafted in Armed Forces personnel to plug the gap during strike, which will hit Heathrow, Birmingham, Cardiff, Gatwick, Glasgow and Manchester airports, and the port of Newhaven in East Sussex.
Despite this travellers are still being warned to expect disruption and delays to their journeys, with queues at passport control possibly growing to such a degree that passengers are held on planes.
Steve Dann, chief operating officer of the Border Force, said: ‘Border Force’s number one priority is to keep our borders safe and secure, that’s something that we will not compromise on. It’s non-negotiable.
‘In anticipation of the strike action, Border Force has for a number of months undertaken extensive planning, and we’ve been working with the travel industry and continue to work closely with all UK ports to assess the impacts of the announcement on the travelling public.
‘We do have robust plans in place to minimise delays to passengers, but we’ve been very clear from the start that people should be prepared for disruption and take action to plan ahead.’
They will be joined on strike on Christmas Eve by bus drivers and rail workers, the latter of which have already caused months of chaos amid their feud with the Government.
Rail workers are also set to go on strike from December 24 to 29 amid their ongoing dispute over pay and conditions
Rail workers will walk out of their jobs from December 24 to 29 as they continue to demand inflation busting pay rises and promises over working conditions.
The strike by members of the militant Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will see some trains stop running as early as 8am on Christmas Eve.
As a result rail bosses are advising families to set off the day before in some parts of the country if they want to guarantee seeing loved ones this Christmas.
The last London-bound train from Edinburgh will set off at 8am, while the final service in the opposite direction will leave at 11am.
The last Newcastle-bound train from the capital will leave at 11am, with the last service going the other way at 10.22am. The last London-Liverpool service will be at 12.34pm and the final London-Leeds train at 12.03pm.
The last train to Glasgow from London will leave at 12.22pm, with the last in the opposite direction at 10.40am. The last London-Manchester service will go at 12.48pm and London-Birmingham at 1.03pm. There will be no direct trains between the capital and Sheffield or Nottingham.
It blows a hole in the claims of RMT boss Mick Lynch, who said his union’s Christmas Eve strike would have no impact on travellers because it wasn’t beginning until 6pm, when engineering works begin on many parts of the network.
The union’s members will walk out from 6pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on December 27.
Network Rail boss Andrew Haines said: ‘RMT suggestions that their planned strike action over the festive period is “not targeting Christmas” would be laughable were the consequences not so painful to so many people.
‘I am so sorry our passengers are having to bear the brunt of the RMT’s needless strike action when a fair offer is on the table and only a third of the workforce have rejected it. Two of our three trade unions have already accepted and the RMT needs to think again.’
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