Rail union the RMT (the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers union) rejected a new pay offer on Sunday night which could have seen strike action averted.
The union has demanded a meeting on Monday morning in order to reopen negotiations around "job security, working conditions and pay". The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) was a given a mandate to make the offer by the Department for Transport. The offer included a four per cent pay increase this year and next, though this would be tied to "vast changes to working practices", the RMT said.
The union said the new offer would see "huge job losses" and the "closure of all ticket offices". The Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the union’s announcement was “incredibly disappointing” and was unfair to the public, passengers and the rail workforce.
