Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will go on strike next month alongside thousands of other workers, it has been announced.
The union declared that its members at 14 train operators will stage a walk out on February 1 and 3. Drivers' union Aslef also announced earlier that thousands of its members will take industrial action on the same days.
Meanwhile, 100,000 civil servants and tens of thousands of teachers will strike on February 1. Furthermore, nationwide protests against the government's controversial strike laws will also be held.
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Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT, said: “Our negotiations will continue with the rail operators to create a package on jobs, conditions and pay that can be offered to our members.”
Downing Street acknowledged that widespread strikes on February 1 will likely cause “significant disruption” to the public. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We’re in no doubt that this strike action, some of which will fall on the same day or days, will cause significant disruption to the public – whether it’s children having their education disrupted or the public trying to go about their daily lives on their commute.
“We don’t think it’s the right course of action, we continue to call unions to step away from the picket lines and continue with discussions.” He added that discussions with the various trade unions are the “right way forward”.
The train operators which will be affected by the strike include:
- Chiltern Railways
- Cross Country Trains
- Greater Anglia
- LNER
- East Midlands Railway
- c2c
- Great Western Railway
- Northern Trains
- South Eastern
- South Western Railway
- Transpennine Express
- Avanti West Coast
- West Midlands Trains
- GTR (including Gatwick Express)
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