Rail Strikes

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 As our London/Rome trip gets nearer, I have been doing a lot of research about the history of the places we'll visit.  I like to be our personal tour guide, spouting fun facts to Pedro as we go along. 

Fun fact: the railway union workers are going to be on strike during our trip to London. The company owns all the railways in the UK, meaning our own Scotrail lines as well as London railways will be affected. 

Our friend A in London gave us a heads up that the trains will be disrupted on the 21st, 23rd, and 25th. We're going to be there from the 20th to the 23rd. Yikes. We can still take the bus...but I can imagine all of London will be turning to alternative routes into the city as well. It'll take longer, and we might have to wait through a few full passing busses, but it might be ok. The other issue is getting to the airport, but I'm hoping because we have to go so early, we won't have to fight for a seat. 

So far, our train tickets from Glasgow to London have not been cancelled, but negotiations with the rail workers are still underway through next week. And using the trains the day before a giant strike isn't a lot of leeway.  Pedro also received an update with the London conference, due to the fact that many of the students are using the trains to get to London.  They are considering cancelling if the commute is going to be a nightmare. Considering we've already planned a whole other trip from London, though, we're still going. It may just be more sight-seeing than work after all. 

As much of a nightmare this is going to be, I have no anger towards the workers. The pandemic messed us all up, really. During the lockdown, the rail companies lost a lot of money and couldn't train any new workers for safety reasons, so the uptick in traveling once restrictions were lifted has strained the current employees. Working overtime and through days off, while experiencing pay cuts and contract terms changing are just a few of the stories I've read. I'd be mad too. Apparently, they threatened disruptions during the Jubilee celebration as well, but I imagine the queen's steely glare stopped that in its tracks.... 

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