Railway workers and staff with some of the country's largest train companies voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action, yesterday (Tuesday May 24). The RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) said that of 40,000 members balloted, 71 per cent took part in the vote, with 89 per cent of them declaring their support for a strike.
The union claim that the vote was the "biggest endorsement" for industrial action by railway workers since privatisation in the 1990s.
The ballot was called because of a row over jobs, pay and conditions. But the industrial action now threatens to bring the country's rail network and train travel to a standstill in the coming weeks.
