Rail strikes forced shoppers to abandon urban centres in the run-up to Christmas, with many choosing to drive to out-of-town retail parks instead, according to figures published today.
The number of people recorded on high streets fell by up to 16 per cent on strike days while activity at out-of-town shopping centres rose by up to 4 per cent week on week, Springboard, a retail analyst, said.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union staged walkouts on December 13, 14, 16 and 17 as part of a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
Springboard reported that footfall across all retail destinations was down more than 20 per cent in the week beginning December 11 compared with the same week in December 2019, the previous Christmas without Covid restrictions. Diane Wehrle, marketing and insights director at the company, said: “While many employees worked from home in December due to the strikes, consumers were not deterred from visiting bricks and mortar stores and shifted some of their trips to shopping centres and retail parks more easily reached by car.”
She believed that the long-term impact of the strikes on the high street “appeared to be negligible”, as footfall in December was 9.9 per cent higher than in 2021, albeit when pandemic restrictions were in place in many areas.
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Travel disruption continued yesterday with 40,000 signallers and station staff completing their second consecutive day of industrial action. RMT walkouts resulted in only about a fifth of trains running and a skeleton service operating on commuter routes.
There is likely to be greater disruption today as train drivers who are members of Aslef also walk out in a separate dispute over pay. As few as one in ten trains are expected to run. RMT members walk out again tomorrow and on Saturday.
Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT, said he wanted to synchronise strike dates with NHS staff, teachers and other public sector workers to increase pressure on a government he accused of failing to fund public services properly.
He told LBC radio: “Unions would be daft if they didn’t try to maximise and synchronise their action. Much of these disputes are about public sector pay.” He added: “We’ve got the same issues.”
However, he denied that he had timed this week’s walkouts with Aslef.
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Senior government and industry figures have expressed optimism that a deal could be reached, with talks scheduled to restart next week. Officials did not deny reports that train drivers could be offered a £2,000 pay rise in the hope that Aslef would accept and isolate the RMT.
Which drivers are striking?
Even though the RMT is taking a day off strike action, the railways will be seriously disrupted today as the train drivers’ union Aslef strikes, affecting Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, Great Northern/Thameslink, London North Eastern Railway, Northern Trains, Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, South Western Railway, SWR Island Line, TransPennine Express and West Midlands Trains. Drivers on Abellio bus services are also striking. The routes affected are mostly in south and west London.
