Worthing business owner calls for end to RMT strike action

Brandon Wright, 31, from Worthing is self-employed and is the director of Twenty Music Roots, a booking agent and events business.

But while trade has begun to pick up following the pandemic, he has been forced to cancel gigs and has seen music lovers be more hesitant about buying tickets, fearing a train strike could be called.

He told The Argus: “There’s certain times where you just don’t know if people are going to buy tickets to an event, because obviously they’re not sure if the trains are going to strike.

“It’s affecting events and ticket sales in general because people are not committing to buying early on.

“You just don’t know - it’s like a guessing game.”

Brandon Wright said that he has been forced to cancel events at last minute due to strike action (Image: Brandon Wright)

The RMT announced further strikes in November in the ongoing dispute over pay and working conditions.

Brandon said the latest announcement of strike dates forced him to make a last-minute cancellation.

He said: “I booked something in last week and now I’ve had to cancel because I saw, last minute, there are rail strikes planned, and I don’t fancy getting stranded in London.

“It just needs to stop. I have lost work because of this.”

While he understands why the RMT are striking, he said the impact of the repeated walkouts are causing significant harm to independent businesses and to the economy.

RMT workers will go on strike over three days in early November (Image: NQ Staff)

“I understand the high prices of energy and everyone is struggling at the moment, but on the other hand, a lot of people rely on trains to go to events - especially to London,” he said.

“If we’re trying to encourage people to come into Brighton from other cities and towns to help our economy and businesses, then it’s no good for anyone.”

After announcing further strike action last week, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that despite repeated negotiations, the Rail Delivery Group has failed to make an offer.

• READ MORE: Union boss calls for city to 'support railway workers' amid train strikes

“We remain open to meaningful talks, but we are steadfast in our industrial campaign to see a negotiated settlement for all our members in this dispute," he said.

A spokeswoman for the Rail Delivery Group accused the RMT of “inflicting more unnecessary long-term damage to the industry we all want to see thrive”.

She said: “We ask the RMT to recognise the very real financial challenge the railway faces and work with us towards a fair deal that both offers a pay rise and includes the long overdue changes we need to make to improve services for our customers.”