The prospect of the biggest rail strike in decades becomes ever more likely as thousands of workers back industrial action. The RMT union announced the news that could see services reduced to a fifth of the usual timetable and cost the rail industry 30 million a day.
The RMT union announced that railway workers voted overwhelmingly to strike with 89% of members who voted in favour of trike action compared to the 11% who voted against with the main issues in dispute for the union being: pay, compulsory redundancies and safety concerns.
It’s now a case of waiting for when the union decide to call strike action, it’s sure to call urgent talks with Network Rail and the other 15 train operating companies in an attempt to reach an agreement before any action is taken.
Services may only run at a fifth of the usual capacity of the weekday timetable for part of the day such as 7am to 7pm on the main lines only.
Mick Lynch, general secretary of the union, said: “Today’s overwhelming endorsement by railway workers is a vindication of the union’s approach and sends a clear message that members want a decent pay rise, job security and no compulsory redundancies.
“Our NEC will now meet to discuss a timetable for strike action from mid-June, but we sincerely hope ministers will encourage the employers to return to the negotiating table and hammer out a reasonable settlement with the RMT.”
Speaking about the strike, a spokesperson for The Department for Transport said: “It is hugely disappointing and premature that the RMT is calling for industrial action before even entering discussions.”
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Feature Image Credit: Photo © El Pollock (cc-by-sa/2.0)
