Christmas Train Strikes Could Leave Students Stranded this Festive Season

Grace Cooper on 15 December 2022

Christmas is fast approaching, which means many students will be thinking about their return home for the holidays. But such decisions might not include rail travel, as The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) have announced 4 weeks’ worth of industrial action. 

Over 40,000 members across Network and 14 Train Operating Companies will be striking from the 13th to the 17th of December as well as from the 3rd to the 7th of January in a series of 48-hour strikes.  Many university terms will be drawing to a close around these December dates, the University of Leeds being one of them. So, what impact might this have on students heading home for the holidays? 

Many students rely on train services to get them from their hometown to university. And amidst a cost-of-living crisis, the cost of a train journey with a railcard might be a cheaper option for students than travelling by car. Data from RAC reveals that the average price of petrol in 2022 was recorded as 166.66 pence per litre and 175.59 pence per litre for diesel which is a significant increase from the year before. This might make travel by car an unlikely alternative to those facing a journey crisis this Christmas and as such, many students might find rail travel to be one of very limited options. 

Some people have taken to Twitter to complain that they are struggling to get back to their families at Christmas. One person also mentioned that people without cars are train companies’ core customer base, although they did also state that it was “good news for national express” as it might in fact mean that coach travel becomes the next course of action for travellers this festive season. 

Previous train strikes have also seen students asking in Facebook student groups if anybody is driving to certain locations and if they can get a lift, as they have no other means of getting there. These desperate attempts to find a way home might become commonplace as these train strike dates approach and may place students in danger as they accept lifts from people they don’t know. 

Frustration towards the train strikes is evident, but this frustration is the result of a lack of change made in support of train staff. In a statement published to RMT’s website, they maintain that Network Rail neglected to “improve an offer on jobs, pay and conditions for members”. They also said The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operating companies, did not make their previous promises about working conditions. 

RMT’s general secretary Mick Lynch stated that “this latest round of strikes will show how important our members are to the running of this country and will send a clear message that we want a good deal on job security, pay and conditions for our people”. 

As much as students are likely to support such action, it does leave those far from home facing trouble ahead of Christmas. Coaches are likely to be a favourable substitute for students that need to get home, but if this is the case, then coaches are likely to face significant pressure in volumes of people over the coming weeks if it is the only travel option. 

Students that cannot make alternative travel arrangements are likely to be among those most impacted when these strikes hit, but what can they do to help the situation? Perhaps these strikes might be a call for students to do more to support rail staff, so their voices can be heard. But perhaps it should be more of a call to the government and those with the authority to make a change, so workers are not faced with having to disrupt journeys this Christmas, just so they can be listened to. 

It is a challenging and controversial situation for both strikers and students. It is evident more than ever that more needs to be done to improve working conditions and better support is required for transport staff. As otherwise, it has a considerable impact on many and could leave students stranded at university, and transport workers might continue to be ignored.  

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Inadequate Emergency Response with Students

Jennifer Machin on 15 December 2022

Emergency services. Our saviours, heroes, idols. But what if you’re a student? Students are crazy, raucous and out of control, aren’t they? Well, that’s how they see us. They ignore us, condescend us and brush us off, but what happens if it’s a real emergency? Why would they take that risk. Their stereotypes risk our lives. Are we not worthy of help, support, and safety? 

I had an emergency recently. It was Halloween, my friends were over, and the evening culminated in a brick through the window. I don’t know the boys who stormed into our house and got aggressive when we asked them to leave. I didn’t want my refuge of a home to be attacked, and yet the emergency services made me feel like it was my fault. No, I was not out of control, nor at a wild party, I just wanted to feel safe in my own house. 

Now, as soon as I said the magical word ‘party’, she ceased to take me seriously. I had been threatened and had my home damaged, but I’m a student, I must deserve it for being a nuisance and having a ‘party’. I begged her for help, petrified of sleeping in a house that felt unsafe, and she disregarded me. What if these boys had come back? What if others saw our house as an easy target? She said it was no emergency, and that I should get some “perspective”, as the police are busy with ‘real emergencies’ and won’t be coming. But why should I have to worry about the police being overworked? That’s not my job, especially not when I have my own quandaries. I needed safety, protection, and support in a scary moment, and she failed. 

The police get the blame for not attending crimes, but do they even get reported? These call responders judge us and hold our lives in the balance through their directives to the police, and yet they don’t take us seriously. There appears to be plenty of police available for noise complaints and street paroles, but when an actual incident happens, where are they? We receive letter after letter threatening us with fines for noise complaints, with even groups of 3+ risking fines for ‘antisocial behaviour’, yet real emergencies are brushed aside.

In their eyes, we are the perpetrators of crimes, not the victims. When we have been victimized, they attribute it to our own stupidity and carelessness. They see us as perpetually drugged up and arrogant children, but we are academics and avid researchers, Even if some recreationally experiment, are they not worthy of help too?

This occurs far too often, and victims of crimes should not have to worry about police availability. Emergency services should be funded enough to support us, whether that is a local or national government issue. What if one day the risks they take on our lives ends badly? What if their neglect causes injury or even death, just for their pre-existing prejudice? We are easy targets, young and inexperienced in being adults, and their lack of aid exacerbates this. We are a generation of neglect, unimportant to our society and thus left to help ourselves.

This is not the first time the emergency services have ignored me or other students and it won’t be the last time. Unfortunately, it is not just the police who are controlled by these directives, but also ambulances and fire services, making all incidents a risk for us. These systems are in place for a reason, yet a few call operators hold this power of saviour or ignorance, not always making the correct choices, especially when it comes to young people and students.

To all students reading this, please stay safe and cautious. We cannot let people brush these incidents aside, especially when they belong to the exact services that are created to help us. No matter the funding issues, we deserve safety and support too.

Image Credit: PickPik

Disadvantaged Students £1200 Poorer

Ruby Wait-Weguelin on 13 October 2022

The Office for National Statistics calculates inflation to be the highest in 40 years. Without a sufficient rise in maintenance loans, students from low-income households could be some of the country’s worst affected.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the fallout from the COVID pandemic have been the two main factors contributing to this unprecedented rise in inflation. Companies have been forced to hike their prices in response to increased energy costs and shortages of goods and materials. Although this has pushed up the cost of living, this rise has not been paralleled with an adequate increase in wages. 

However, it’s not only workers who have been affected. University maintenance loans have only increased by a meagre 2.3%, well below the predictions of a 12% interest rate calculated by the Office for National Statistics last week. This cut in loans will see the poorest students £1200 less well off in the upcoming academic year. Combined with food prices at a 14-year high, rent increases and extortionate fuel bills, this will leave some poorer students to face extreme economic pressures. Many less privileged students do not receive financial support from family members and are left with no choice but to rely on demanding additional employment. 

Not only will this have a disproportionate effect on current university students from poorer backgrounds, but there is also no doubt that this inadequate government support will also discourage prospective students. For many, this real-term cut to maintenance loans will make university completely inaccessible. Alternatively, many young people will judge that it is most advantageous to go straight into employment, at great detriment to social mobility. 

Last week, the Government announced it will reduce student loan interest rates of recent graduates by 1%. This plan falls short in adequately supporting both graduates and current students; the latter of which will not be affected by this reform at all. Government support will be essential during the upcoming recession, and students should not be excluded. An initial demand should be to increase student maintenance loans to be in line with inflation. 

It is especially frustrating to know that while most of the population is struggling, buy-to-let investors, private equity investors and fuel companies are making extortionate profits. In its last quarter, BP’s profits were an eye-watering $8.45 billion. Fundamental changes have to be made. But in the meantime, students should not be punished. 

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the real-term value of Government student support is now the lowest in seven years. This has come alongside a hike in living costs, as the price of rent, food, travel, and energy bills have all increased. For students from low-income backgrounds, this will be extremely worrying, many of which already juggle stressful working hours with their studies.

Image Credit: Student Journey – University of Sunderland