The UK is set for more disruption to the rail services as thousands of rail workers are set to strike again this week as a dispute over pay and job security continues.
Over 40,000 train staff are staging two days of walkouts, with the first day of strike action beginning tomorrow (August 18). Strike action will also resume on Saturday August 20.
Network rail have said that around 4,300 services will be running, but this is only about 20% of the usual services, and there won't be any trains running in some areas of the country.
RMT is calling for train operating companies to increase salaries to reflect the rising cost of living.
The union said: "They need 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.
"Recent proposals from Network Rail fell well short on pay and on safety around maintenance work.
“And the train operating companies have not even made us a pay offer in recent negotiations."
Here's which rail workers are striking and how much they earn.
Which rail workers are striking?
Rail workers from three separate unions including RMT, TSSA and Unite will be striking.
From RMT, 40,000 workers who work at Network Rail and 14 other train operators will be striking.
The 14 other operators whose workers will be taking part include:
- Avanti West Coast
- C2C
- Chiltern Railways
- Cross Country Trains
- East Midlands Railway
- Gatwick Express
- Great Western Railway
- Greater Anglia
- LNER
- Northern Trains
- Southeastern
- South Western Railway
- Southern
- Thameslink
- West Midlands Trains
- TransPennine Express
Meanwhile, thousands of Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) members members will also stage a walkout.
This includes Network Rail workers in bands 5 to 8 and equivalent as well as Controller grade members, but does not include bands 1 to 4 workers who are management grade employees.
The union is striking after asking for "clear assurances and clarity on job security and working practices".
Members of Unite who are employed by Network Rail as electric control room operatives will also be joining the other unions in the strikes.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham: “Our members played a crucial role in keeping the rail network functioning throughout the pandemic, ensuring that essential workers and goods could be transported.
"The thanks they get for their sacrifices from their employers is a derisory offer that amounts to a kick in the teeth."
Only a few train drivers are likely to be involved in these strikes, as 96% of drivers belong to a different union called ASLEF, who held their own strike last week.
How much are rail workers paid?
Most of the rail workers going on strike this week are employed by Network Rail.
In their latest salary breakdown from February 2022, Network rail revealed that most of their staff earn between £20,000 to £40,000, with 21,128 employees falling into this band.
1,332 workers also earned £20,000 or under, while 16,601 earned between £40,000 and £60,000.
During the last RMT strike, Transport secretary Grant Shapps claimed that the average rail worker earns £44,000 per year.
While £44,000 is the median salary of all railway workers, it's not reflective of the average salary for workers involved in the strikes.
This is because it includes train drivers, and few of them are involved in the RMT strike, and it excludes other workers such as cleaners, who are involved in the strikes.
According to the RMT, the median salary of its rail members is £31,000.
The TSSA have said that "at present there has not been any changes/improvements to the current pay offer for General Grades and Controllers from Network Rail."
When it comes to Electrical Control Room Operators, it seems that their salaries are higher, with a job advert from Network Rail last year advertising the salary as £53,372.
But the job involves shift working across a 365 day, 24/7 shift pattern including nights, weekends and bank holidays and Unite say that control room workers at Network Rail haven't received a pay rise in three years.
They claimed that they are "struggling to make ends meet" because of the cost of living crisis.
