Rail staff will strike for two further days next month as the row over jobs, pay and working conditions continues. RMT members at Network Rail and 14 train operators will stage a walkout on August 18 and 20, the union has announced.
It comes after 24-hours of strike action was announced by the union for later this month, Wednesday (July 27) - the day before the Commonwealth Games opens in Birmingham. Network Rail's latest offer in the talks was for a 4pc pay rise backdated to January, another 2pc next year and a further 2pc conditional on achieving 'modernisation milestones'.
It follows strikes by 40,000 RMT union workers across 13 operators and at Network Rail last month. Passengers at the time struggled as only a fifth of rail services ran over three days and stations were left empty.
READ MORE: Can I refund my train ticket due to rail strikes? Refunds under Delay Repay scheme explained
Last month, The Manchester Evening News reported the eerie scenes at major train stations based in the city, which saw Manchester Victoria and Piccadilly fall silent, with significantly fewer services running. One train guard who has worked in the sector for 30 years spoke to the M.E.N about why he was striking. An RMT rep, he was one of those among the picket lines outside Wigan Wallgate and Wigan North Western during the walkout in June.
News of the latest August strikes comes just days after train drivers with operators Northern and TransPennine voted to take strike action. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch warned that the dispute will 'simply not vanish'.
Speaking after the announcement of two more days of strikes, he said: “The rail industry and the Government need to understand that this dispute will not simply vanish. They need to get serious about providing an offer on pay which helps deal with the cost-of-living crisis, job security for our members and provides good conditions at work.
“Recent proposals from Network Rail fell well short on pay and on safety around maintenance work. And the train operating companies have not even made us a pay offer in recent negotiations.
“Now Grant Shapps (Transport Secretary) has abandoned his forlorn hopes for the job of prime minister, he can now get back to his day job and help sort this mess out. We remain open for talks, but we will continue our campaign until we reach a negotiated settlement.”
Andrew Haines, chief executive of Network Rail, said: “By announcing even more strike dates, the RMT has dropped any pretence that this is about reaching a deal. It’s clear the best interests of passengers and our staff are taking second place to the union’s bosses’ political campaign.“
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