Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers t-shirt, green, with the inscription 'I was a key worker. After a three year pay freeze, now I'm a greedy worker!'

A significant proportion of railway employees were designated as key workers during the Covid 19 pandemic. During lockdown travel and work restrictions many railway workers were exempted from rules that applied to the general public, and continued to work on the railway.

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) was formed on 10 September 1990 from the National Union of Railwaymen and the National Union of Seamen. In 2024 it had 83, 000 members, and its key objective was protecting and bettering its member’s pay and conditions. Railways make up a large proportion of the Union’s membership, but it also covers other travel sectors such as buses, shipping and road freight.

In 2022-2024 there were a series of industrial disputes in the United Kingdom between rail workers and companies supported by the UK government. The industrial action was the largest in the sector since 1989, the first national railway strike since 1994 and involved 40,000 workers nationwide. Workers walked out over wages, planned changes to working practices, the proposed closure of ticket offices and the treat of redundancies.