The long-running standoff on the railway has escalated once again after both major unions called fresh strikes, accusing train operators of “torpedoing negotiations”.
The RMT called a 24-hour rail strike for May, just hours after the train drivers’ union Aslef announced three separate days of rail strikes in May and June, dashing hopes that the long-running dispute could be coming to an end.
Major events including the Eurovision song contest and the FA Cup final will be affected by the strikes, which are likely to stop most, if not all, trains at the companies involved.
The trains affected include the main intercity and commuter services around England, as well as some on cross-border routes to cities and towns in Scotland and Wales.
The RMT’s leader, Mick Lynch, said negotiators at the train operators had been pressured by government to renege on a 9% offer the union had been considering for several weeks, by making the first year’s pay deal contingent on withdrawing its mandate for strike action.
The RMT strike will take place on 13 May, when the Eurovision final will be held in Liverpool, and follows the first Aslef strike on 12 May.
Further drivers’ strikes will be held on 31 May, and 3 June, the day of the FA Cup final when many fans will be travelling from north-west England to London to see two Manchester teams play at Wembley.
Lynch said: “The RDG [Rail Delivery Group] have reneged on their original proposals and torpedoed these negotiations. No doubt their decision is due to pressure exerted on them by the Tory government.
“Therefore, we have no alternative but to press ahead with more strike action and continue our campaign for a negotiated settlement on pay, conditions and job security.”
Meanwhile, Aslef rejected what it called a “risible” pay offer of 4% a year for two years. The union’s general secretary, Mick Whelan, said: “Our executive committee met this morning and rejected a risible proposal we received from the RDG.
“The proposal – of just 4% – was clearly not designed to be accepted as inflation is still running north of 10% and our members at these companies have not had an increase for four years.”
An overtime ban will also be put in place by Aslef for the week of 15-20 May, as well as on 13 May and 1 June. This is likely to cause significant disruption to train operators, which to a greater or lesser degree rely on voluntary rest-day working to operate their full schedule.
The transport secretary, Mark Harper, said the news was “deeply disappointing” and urged Aslef to call off the strikes, accusing the union of “targeting thousands of people attending the UK’s first Eurovision event in 25 years – including Ukrainians displaced by Putin’s war – and the first ever all-Manchester FA Cup final”.
The affected companies are those in England contracted by the Department for Transport: Avanti West Coast; Chiltern Railways; CrossCountry; East Midlands Railway; Great Western Railway; Greater Anglia; GTR – Great Northern and Thameslink; LNER; Northern; Southeastern; Southern/Gatwick Express; South Western Railway; SWR depot drivers; SWR Island Line; TransPennine Express; and West Midlands Trains.
Aslef has staged eight one-day strikes over the course of the year-long rail dispute, but has rarely called such extensive action in a single announcement, underlining anger felt by drivers at the offer.
The two-year deal with a 4% annual pay rise – as well as changes to working conditions – runs short of the offer to members of the RMT union of 9% over two years with a bigger rise for the lowest paid. However, Aslef drivers are paid much more than train crew and station staff in the RMT.
An eventual deal for drivers is expected to be negotiated at individual train companies because of the wide disparity in pay and working arrangements, including Sunday rosters. Aslef was, though, expecting a larger guaranteed national minimum rise as a starting point.
Whelan said the union had been discussing a national resolution and arrangements and principles for talks with each company, before the RDG’s unexpected offer.
He said the employers had “forced our hand over this by their intransigence. It is now up to them to come up with a more sensible, and realistic, offer and we ask the government not to hinder this process.”
An RDG spokesperson said the strikes would “only heap more pressure on an industry already facing an acute financial crisis”.
They added that the “revised and fair offer”, of 4% a year for two years, would have “introduced overdue, commonsense improvements” to improve services for passengers.
The RMT is meanwhile reballoting its members for a mandate to continue strikes for a further six months, with a result expected on 4 May.
