c2c has released information about arrangements for passengers during forthcoming industrial action by trade unions RMT and ASLEF.
- The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport workers (RMT) will strike on Saturday 26 August and Saturday 2 September, as part of its battle for job security and improved pay.
- The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) will strike on Friday 1 September and refuse to work overtimd on Saturday 2 September, the latter coinciding with RMT's strike, demanding a pay rise for train drivers, who have seen no increase in their pay since 2019.
The operator is advising passengers to check before travelling on Saturday 26 August, and that:
- all services will run to/from London Fenchurch Street station;
- twelve-carriage trains will not stop at Limehouse;
- tickets for Saturday 26 August can be used on the day before the date on the ticket or up to and including Tuesday 29 August;
- if your service is disrupted by the industrial action, you may be able to use your ticket on another operator's service or may be able to take advantage of the temporary removal of certain ticket restrictions;
- if you bought an Off-Peak or Anytime ticket and choose not to travel because your service has been cancelled, delayed or rescheduled, you may be entitled to a refund or change from the original retailer of your ticket.
Tickets for Saturday 2 September can be used on Thursday 31 August or up to and including Tuesday 5 September. c2c expects significant disruption.
Passengers will have following options, depending on the ticket you hold and the impact on your travel plans.
Refunds: If your service is cancelled, delayed or rescheduled, you are entitled to change your ticket or claim a refund from the original retailer of your ticket. Find out more about applying for a refund here.
Season Ticket holders (monthly or longer): If you can not travel due to timetable disruption on the day of industrial action, you may claim compensation through Delay Repay.
Flexi Season Ticket holders: If you have activated a day's travel for a strike day and are then unable or choose not to travel, you may claim compensation for these days through Delay Repay.
Season Ticket holders (all durations): If you choose to travel you will be eligible for Delay Repay compensation if your journey is delayed against the timetable in operation.
Changing operator or route: You may be able to use your ticket on another train company or an alternative route. Contact the train company you are due to travel with for details.
Travel within London: If you present magstripe National Rail tickets (Singles, Returns or Season Tickets) for journeys across London you are allowed to travel on TfL services (bus, Tube, tram, DLR) on reasonable routes on the days of the national rail industrial action only. Barcode and tickets on smartcard will not be accepted by TfL staff. Contact the original retailer of your ticket for details.
Return Journey: If you do not make your outward journey because of the strike, you are entitled to have a refund on both your outward and return ticket even if the return is not affected by a strike. The same applies if the return journey was affected by a strike but the outward journey was not.
Rob Mullen, c2c Managing Director, said: “I'm really disappointed that an agreement with our Trade Unions hasn't been reached. The impact of this ongoing action is significant for our customers and colleagues. I'm hopeful that further meetings with the unions are productive and see progress made toward concluding this challenging time for the railway.”
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “The mood among our members remains solid and determined in our national dispute over pay, job security and working conditions.
“We have had to call further strike action as we have received no improved or revised offer from the Rail Delivery Group.
“The reason for this is the government has not allowed them a fresh mandate on which discussions could be held.
“Our members and our union will continue fighting until we can reach a negotiated and just settlement.”
c2c have also been blamed for ticket machines not working properly and these machines are very liable to malfunction with commuters experiencing issues with the ticket machines and c2c does need to replace them.
I’ve seen lots of complaints about these ticket machines not working and the ongoing affects of having ticket offices closed permanently will only cause more confusion and frustration to passengers who rely on having ticket offices to remain opened. I think that c2c doesn’t really seem to care about passengers complaining and they want to focus on being a train operator.