December timeline of industrial action

Month of rail chaos begins with first 48-hour strike, as nursing walkout looms

A month of rail disruption has begun, with workers walking out in the first of a wave of 48-hour strikes, as nurses prepare to take unprecedented industrial action.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union are pressing ahead with two 48-hour strikes at Network Rail – and 14 train companies – from Tuesday and Friday.

Trains are only running from 7.30am to 6.30pm on this week’s strike days, although many parts of the country will have no services, including most of Scotland and Wales.

RMT workers at Network Rail will also strike from 6pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on December 27

Nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland now seem set to begin their first day of strike action on Thursday, with a second date set for Tuesday.

Ambulance workers, driving examiners, border force workers and paramedics and care assistants are planning strikes in December too.

See timeline for strikes announced in December:

How will you be affected by the planned strikes?