Hi Could anyone help me to make a decision. I have booked a ticket to England from France on the Eurostar for my nieces wedding leaving, 20 July and coming back 29 July. I have read lots of articles which are not clear about the days on which there are strikes but clear that there will be strikes. I am worried about finding myself in London on the Eurostar and and being unable to get to Victoria coach or missing my my connection for Lille… Not being young or in good health I am finding the idea of going making me very anxious. Am I over worrying about this. If there is a strike one day affecting travel would it be logical to think the trains will also be affected the next day. Even though the Eurostar is safe apparently it will b affected due to the fact that it depends an an efficient service in England to continue its journey. I know taxis etc will be available but with my health and age and the fact it could be mayhem I am left undecided. I booked my Eurostar ticket but don’t think this will be refunded because Eurostar will still run. I expect many people have this dilemma. My friends say go because you have to take risks and you will find a way back but it is partly that I suffer from anxiety even over something simple and obviously this is a monster spider!! Thanks in advance Fiona
The strike is due to be on the 27th so you should be fine on the 29th. There are also Uber and busses.
Is there a friend or family member who could meet you at King’s Cross to give you support? Do you know anyone in London or Lille who could put you up for the night if you really were stuck?
Or perhaps make alternative plans now so you feel less anxious. You can pre-book taxis through Eurostar depending on how much time you have between connections. From King’s Cross to Victoria there are many routes, so print out bus stops and identify which numbers you would need, load the Uber app, look at tube map, check our nearby hotels etc etc
Think through what you could do if x happened, or y happened so you don’t panic if it does.
Victoria Line tube: King’s Cross to Victoria is 4 stops.
Oh no @Corona …I’m meant to be travelling to the UK on 27 July and have the train booked from Gatwick - is it a blanket strike planned i.e. no trains??? First my original flight in the morning was cancelled by Easyjet and moved to the afternoon, and now this potentially 
Ahh, yes a blanket strike by train staff and that will include overground and tubes.
Thanks - what a pain! Hey ho, guess there are worse things - just need to get on and sort out another means of transport 
It is high time that grievances in public services were dealt with by binding arbitration rather than the antiquated strike method, especially as many strikes are called for political reasons by extremists.
The strike on 27th July does not (yet) include the tube.
I have been on strike a few times and every single time it has been either to prevent standard slippage downwards, or because eg my profession’s pay scale has been frozen for over 15 years and so isn’t index linked so we are relatively skint. Not surprising ever fewer people want to do my job.
I was just clearing some emails out of my ac-bx address and spotted that 10 years ago there were 50,000 applications to sit the CAPES this year just 30,000. That is enormous! I also saw a few weeks ago that contractuelles are up 67% no wonder!!!
Yes the combination of rubbish pay, being sent anywhere in France, little to no appreciation of or respect for our job really cuts recruitment. You have to have a valid Master’s degree even to sit the competitive two step admissions competition so it isn’t surprising people think soddit and don’t bother.
Contractuels are even cheaper, easy to bully and disposable 
usually because they are a bit desperate. All very cynical.
You’ve hit the nail on the head about the contractuels. 6 years before I can get a CDI 
Well I don’t like but you know what I mean.
Political extremists exist on both sides of of the argument.
It does include RMT members. Along with network rail. That is from media as details maybe different when viewed outside the UK.
Personally, I hope every public sector worker in the UK goes on strike, preferably all at the same time. Yes the public will be inconvenienced, me included, but I believe it’s time to say enough is enough. The rail workers have my support, for what it’s worth.
Yep. Plundering their pensions is not right. Train drivers earn a v good wage but a lot of the station staff are on very low pay.
Check out some of Mick Lynch’s interviews on YouTube. He’s extremely good at showing up the lies being told by the mainstream media and Tory ministers. The Kay Burley one is pure comedy and he’s great on Question Time. Nice to see us Brits sticking up for ourselves like the French do.
Quite agree Debbie. Something has to be done to shock the govt into taking positive action on the current cost of living crisis. It looks however that nothing will change until the new PM is installed, fiddling while Rome burns comes to mind.
I think the UK is in for one hell of a winter….