RMT strikes 2026: What the upcoming rail disruption means for employers

Rail strikes have returned to the UK network this autumn, with further RMT action confirmed at East Midlands Railway across late August and September 2026, alongside ongoing disputes at Avanti West Coast, TransPennine Express, and London Underground. For most employers, the practical concern is not the disputes themselves but their knock-on effect on the workforce: staff who cannot get to work, arrive late, or ask to work from home at short notice.

The Employment Rights Act 2025, which came into force in December 2025, has also reduced the minimum notice period for industrial action from 14 days to 10 days [3]. In practice, this means employers have less time to plan around each round of action than they did during the 2022-2024 disputes.

This article discusses the confirmed strike dates, what employers can consider around pay and absence when staff are affected, and how to prepare for further disruption.

Summary

• RMT industrial action is currently confirmed at East Midlands Railway on 30-31 August and 16-17 September 2026, with ongoing disputes at Avanti West Coast, TransPennine Express (outsourced staff), and London Underground [1] [2].
• Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, the notice period for strike action has been reduced to 10 days and minimum service levels have been abolished [3].
• ACAS guidance recommends flexibility in absence and lateness policies during transport disruption, warning that rigid rules can drive up total absence rather than reduce it [4].
• CIPD data shows 75% of UK organisations now operate hybrid working, though around half of UK workers cannot work from home in their role [5] [6].

Confirmed strike action

East Midlands Railway

The RMT has confirmed further strike action on East Midlands Railway (EMR) over ongoing safety concerns and faults with the operator's Class 810 units. The confirmed dates are:

• Sunday 30 August – Monday 31 August 2026: 48-hour strike, from 00:01 Sunday to 23:59 Monday.
• Wednesday 16 September – Thursday 17 September 2026: 24-hour strike, from 12:00 Wednesday to 11:59 Thursday, if concerns are not resolved.

Action short of strike also remains in place, with members refusing to work Class 810 trains where faults including lack of air conditioning, door faults, and non-working toilets continue [1]. These strikes follow three 24-hour walkouts on Saturdays across August.

EMR runs services across central and eastern England, including London St Pancras to Nottingham, Derby, Sheffield, and Corby, and connections to Liverpool, Manchester, Norfolk, and Lincolnshire.

Other current disputes

EMR is not the only operator affected. Avanti West Coast staff at Manchester Piccadilly have taken action over the dismissal of a colleague, outsourced cleaners and catering workers at TransPennine Express have staged 48-hour strikes over pay, and London Underground saw two rounds of near-complete tube shutdowns in May and June 2026. The dispute between the RMT and Transport for London remains unresolved [2].

Pay and absence when staff are affected

Employees who cannot get to work because of a rail strike are generally not entitled to pay for the time they miss, unless their contract provides otherwise. In practice, employers commonly handle these situations in one of a few ways: allowing the day to be taken as annual leave, allowing unpaid leave, letting the employee make up the time at another point, or, where the role permits, allowing them to work from home for the day.

Some employers also take the view that, because strikes are announced in advance, employees have a reasonable opportunity to arrange alternative travel, and that repeated failure to do so may be handled as a conduct matter. Which approach fits tends to depend on the role, the notice given, and what the contract and staff handbook say.

Contractual and policy terms vary between organisations, and what applies in any given case will depend on the employment contract, staff handbook, and established practice. Employers may wish to check their own documents and take advice on how they should be applied before communicating decisions to staff.

ACAS guidance on unauthorised absence notes that flexibility in absence and lateness policies tends to reduce overall absence, and that rigid policies can drive employees to call in sick rather than arrive late, turning a two-hour delay into a full lost day [4].

Practical response

With further action possible in the coming months, some employers may find it useful to have a documented process rather than working out a response each time a strike is called.

• Map exposure across the workforce. Understanding how many employees rely on specific rail routes, and which roles could function remotely, allows for faster and more targeted communication when action is announced. This matters particularly for organisations with staff commuting into major stations such as London Euston, Manchester Piccadilly, Birmingham New Street, or Leeds, where disruption on a single operator can affect a large number of employees at once.
• Use existing remote-working infrastructure where possible. CIPD research from 2025 shows 75% of UK organisations now operate hybrid working [5]. Where roles permit it, allowing employees to work from home on strike days is generally the simplest and lowest-cost response, provided the infrastructure is already in place. Around half of UK workers cannot work from home in their role at all [6], so remote working alone is not a complete answer for most employers.
• Have alternatives ready for non-remote roles. Options used during previous rail disputes include adjusted start and finish times, allowing staff to work from a location closer to home for the day, swapping shifts with colleagues who live closer to the workplace, or treating the day as annual leave or unpaid leave by mutual agreement.
• Communicate expectations early. Once a strike is announced, employees benefit from knowing quickly what is expected of them, such as whether the office remains open, whether working from home is expected or optional, how to record time missed, and who to contact if plans change. Clear communication reduces both anxiety and the volume of individual conversations managers need to hold.
• Review policies before the next round, not after. The 10-day notice period does not leave time to redraft policies once action is called. Reviewing absence, lateness, home-working, and travel policies in advance, and making sure managers understand how they apply, is more effective than improvising under pressure.

Looking ahead

The pattern of rail disruption in 2026 suggests that industrial action on the railways is now a structural feature of the operating environment (at least at that the time of writing this article) rather than a temporary disturbance. Disputes are more fragmented than during the 2022-2024 period, but they are also more frequent, less predictable, and, following the Employment Rights Act 2025, arrive with less notice.

Organisations that have clear absence and remote-working policies, that understand which of their staff are exposed to which routes, and that communicate quickly when action is announced tend to absorb the disruption with less friction than those that respond reactively.

This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The information is accurate at the time of writing but may be subject to change. For advice specific to your situation, please consult a qualified professional.

[1] RMT Press Office, Further strike action called on East Midlands Railway, 22 August 2026.

[2] RMT Press Office, News archive, 2026.

[3] ACAS, Employment Rights Act 2025, 2026.

[4] ACAS, Unauthorised absence and lateness - having a policy, 2025.

[5] CIPD, Flexible and hybrid working practices 2025, 2025.

[6] CIPD, What are employers' return to the office plans for 2025?, January 2025.