Barnham railway cafe feels caught in the crossfire as railway strikes continue

The strikes, led by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport workers, started late last year and have continued into 2023.

On January 3, a 48 walk out staged by 40,000 staff saw four out of every five trains in Sussex cancelled. Members of train drivers union Aslef called a strike soon after, on January 5, ahead of a second 48 hour walkout on January 6 and 7.

Amidst the disruption are businesses like the Barnham Interchange Cafe, on Barnham Railway Station, which relies on the railway to continue operating smoothly for a steady flow of business.

“It’s not been easy,” said manager Tracy Middleton, who runs the cafe with her parents – the leaseholders. “Between the strikes and the engineering works, we never know whether we can be open weekends or what the trade will be like. It just makes the whole thing awkward.

"We've tried to ask our landlords for help with our rent but, in fairness to them, they’re not responsible for the strike. So they told us to look to our insurance. But, when we tried to claim on our insurance we were told business interruption only covers things like a fire – not railway strikes. So every angle we look at this from, we've been stopped in our tracks."

Mrs Middleton said the cafe is forced to close when strikes take place, meaning they've lost several day of trade, but still have overheads like rent, utilities and wages to pay.

She added that the electricity bill, which has severely increased over the last few months, is a particular concern.

"It’s not like at Chichester, where they can attract customers through the latch. We’re entirely reliant on commuters. If the trains aren’t running, we have no choice but to close,” she added.

RMT bosses say the strikes are to protect working conditions and advocate for a wage increase that keeps pace with the rising cost of living.

Mrs Middleton is keen to make clear that she and her family sympathise with the striking staff – it’s just that they feel unduly affected by someone else’s fight.

"I've got no issue with the staff - they all have problems they want to raise. But it just seems unfair that no one will help us, and businesses like us, when we're trying to survive despite having nothing to do with the situation.”

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