For many Brits, the journey home after Christmas this year is difficult. A strike brings rail traffic to a standstill over the holidays, and travelers often need patience at airports, too.

Trains in Britain traditionally stop on Christmas Day. But Monday, Boxing Day, is so-called Boxing Day, the busiest day of the year for British railways. This year, however, a strike has left the tracks empty.

As announced by the route operator Network Rail, there will be no trains on Monday. Connections with London’s Heathrow and Stansted airports would also have to be cancelled. The RMT union had called on thousands of Deutsche Bahn employees to stop work on Saturday night. The strike is expected to last until Tuesday morning.

Also on Tuesday restrictions on rail traffic

But on Tuesday, connections could still fail during the day or travelers would have to prepare for delays. The ScotRail railway company announced to the BBC that the first trains would not be able to run again until 7:15am on Tuesday at the earliest. In some regions of the country it is to be expected that train traffic will be canceled until the afternoon.

Network Rail asked travelers to find out about existing connections before they travel. The AA Motorists Association estimates that more than 15 million cars could be on UK roads as a result of the Boxing Day rail strike.

More strikes announced in January

The wage dispute at British railways has been going on for months. The RMT union had called strikes several times during the year. And he wants to call back soon after the turn of the year to stop working, as the BBC reported. Consequently, strikes have already been announced for January 3 and 4, as well as for January 5 and 6.

The union demands higher wages and better working conditions for railway employees. RMT rejected previous offers from route operators.

Sunak against new salary increase offers

However, more recently, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has also spoken out against wage increases that go beyond offers already made by employers. Sunak was referring not only to the railways, but also to other sectors where wage disputes were accompanied by strikes, such as the public sector. He justified his refusal with the risk of further increasing inflation.

The railways have been largely privatized in Britain since the 1990s. However, private operators must comply with certain government regulations.

There are also strikes at airports

But this year it’s not just the rail strike that’s making it difficult for Brits to travel over the Christmas period. Border officials have also been on strike at several airports since Friday, including London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports. They want to stop work until New Year’s Eve, but the strike will end on December 27. At the start of the Christmas travel spree on Friday, there were already long queues at airports.