MEMBERS of the biggest rail workers' union are to stage fresh strikes in the long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said 20,000 of its members in 14 train operators would walk out on August 26 and September 2.
While ScotRail services will not be affected by the strike, as pay negotiations have been settled in Scotland, cross-Border services on the likes of LNER, Avanti, CrossCountry and TransPennine Express will be disrupted.
The union said it had been left with “little choice” but to take further action, primarily affecting English services, as it had seen no improved or revised offer from the Rail Delivery Group.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch (above) said: “The mood among our members remains solid and determined in our national dispute over pay, job security and working conditions.
“We have had to call further strike action as we have received no improved or revised offer from the Rail Delivery Group.
“The reason for this is the Government has not allowed them a fresh mandate on which discussions could be held.
“Our members and our union will continue fighting until we can reach a negotiated and just settlement.”
READ MORE: Mick Lynch says Scottish nationalist MPs are 'closer' to RMT strikers than Keir Starmer
The 14 train operating companies affected by the new strikes are: Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry Trains, Greater Anglia, LNER, East Midlands Railway, c2c, Great Western Railway, Northern Trains, South Eastern, South Western Railway, Transpennine Express, Avanti West Coast, West Midlands Trains and GTR (including Gatwick Express).
A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson said: “With further strike action the RMT are once again targeting customers looking to enjoy various sporting events, festivals and the end of the summer holidays, disrupting their plans and forcing more cars onto the road.
“We have now made three offers, the latest of which would have given staff pay rises of up to 13% as well as job security guarantees, and the RMT executive have blocked this without a convincing explanation.
READ MORE: Mick Lynch: Starmer must show voters what his values are ahead of election
“We remain open to talks and we have said repeatedly that we want to give our people a pay rise, but until the union leadership and executive is united in what it wants and engages in good faith with the 30% shortfall in revenue the industry is continuing to grapple with post-Covid, it is difficult to move forward.
“Unfortunately, the repercussion of this impasse affects our staff, customers and the communities across the country that rely on the railway.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here