More train strikes have been announced for this summer in the worsening dispute over jobs, pay and conditions.
It comes after thousands of people's journeys were disrupted due to mass walkouts last month. At the time, the RMT union said Network Rail plans to cut up to 2,500 jobs as part of a £2bn reduction in spending, with proposed job cuts including workers who maintain tracks, signals and overhead lines.
Earlier this week further action was agreed, and more dates have now been issued. Union leaders made the announcement after rejecting a new offer from Network Rail which they described as "paltry".
READ MORE: More rail strikes as train drivers set to walk out at end of July
The offer was for a 4% pay rise backdated to January, another 2% next year and a further 2% conditional on achieving "modernisation milestones". The RMT said it has yet to receive a pay offer or guarantees over job losses from the train operating companies (TOCs).
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "The offer from Network Rail represents a real terms pay cut for our members and the paltry sum is conditional on RMT members agreeing to drastic changes in their working lives. We have made progress on compulsory redundancies, but Network Rail are still seeking to make our members poorer when we have won in some cases double what they are offering, with other rail operators.
He has since said the Government needs 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."
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."
RMT rail strikes are earmarked to take place on:
- July 27
- August 18
- August 20
Train drivers at eight rail companies will also walk out on July 30 in another strike over pay. The Aslef union, which represents train drivers, announced the day of industrial action after talks broke down over a pay offer to keep pace with the increase in the cost of living.
Announcing the July 30 action earlier this week, Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said: "We don’t want to go on strike – strikes are the result of a failure of negotiation – and this union, since I was elected GS in 2011, has only ever been on strike, until this year, for a handful of days.
"We don’t want to inconvenience passengers – not least because our friends and families use public transport, too, and we believe in building trust in the railways in Britain – and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike. But we’ve been forced into this position by the train companies, driven by the Tory government. The drivers at the companies where we are striking have had a real terms pay cut over the last three years – since April 2019."
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