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THOUSANDS OF RAIL WORKERS TO WALK OUT FOR THREE DAYS IN JUNE IN BIGGEST STRIKE
SINCE 1989

The government accuses the RMT union of rushing towards strikes when talks were
at early stage but its boss says ministers and the operating companies have
failed to take workers' concerns seriously.

James Sillars

Business reporter @SkyNewsBiz

Tuesday 7 June 2022 19:57, UK



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Railway workers will strike for three days later this month and "shut down the
system" according to a union boss, threatening travel chaos for commuters and
those heading to major events including the Glastonbury festival.

The RMT said that up to 50,000 of its members across Network Rail, 13 train
operators and on London Underground would walk out on 21 June in the "biggest
outbreak of industrial action in the UK since 1989".

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An estimated 40,000 rail workers - excluding the Tube members - would strike on
23 and 25 June, the union added.

The strike dates follow ballots that ended last month.

There are three issues at the heart of the dispute for the union: pay,
compulsory redundancies and safety concerns.

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The row stems from government demands for savings on a network that was propped
up by the taxpayer when passenger numbers collapsed during the COVID crisis.



The pay issue is complicated by the multitude of rail operating companies
involved but none, it would seem, have met union demands for rises in line with
inflation - currently at a 40-year high.


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RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "Railway workers have been treated
appallingly and despite our best efforts in negotiations, the rail industry with
the support of the government has failed to take their concerns seriously.

"We have a cost of living crisis, and it is unacceptable for railway workers to
either lose their jobs or face another year of a pay freeze when inflation is at
11.1% and rising.

THE SERVICES FACING STRIKE ACTION

 * Chiltern Railways
 * Cross Country Trains
 * Greater Anglia
 * LNER
 * East Midlands Railway
 * c2c
 * Northern Trains
 * South Eastern
 * South Western Railway
 * Great Western Railway
 * TransPennine Express
 * Avanti West Coast
 * West Midlands Trains

"Our union will now embark on a sustained campaign of industrial action which
will shut down the railway system.

"Rail companies are making at least £500m a year in profits, whilst fat cat rail
bosses have been paid millions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This unfairness is fuelling our members anger and their determination to win a
fair settlement.

"RMT is open to meaningful negotiations with rail bosses and ministers, but they
will need to come up with new proposals to prevent months of disruption on our
railways."

The government had said last month that contingency plans were being put in
place to mitigate the impact of any strikes but freight services - to maintain
the flow of goods - would have to be prioritised over passenger trains.

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10:48



Rail strike action is 'very likely'
RMT General Secretary Mike Lynch says he "can't see a way out from the strikes"
on the railways that could happen in mid-June.
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May 29: Rail strike action is 'very likely'

Events that could be affected include Glastonbury, which starts on 22 June and
runs until the 26th, and the British athletics championships in Manchester.

The looming industrial action will be seen as a major test of Boris Johnson's
administration as it seeks to concentrate on the issues facing the country, such
as tackling the cost of living crisis, in the wake of the slender victory for
the PM in Monday's confidence vote among Conservative MPs.

Disruption caused by the London Underground dispute has also coincided with
trouble for passengers as airports and airlines grapple staff shortages that
have forced the cancellation of flights for several months and severe delays too
- most recently over the half-term holidays.

Potentially hampering meaningful negotiations is bad blood between the transport
secretary Grant Shapps and the union movement.

Comments in a Sunday Telegraph interview, in which Mr Shapps said the government
was looking at drawing up laws that would ensure minimum service levels during
industrial action, have raised union hackles.

He said of the planned strikes: "It is incredibly disappointing the RMT have
decided to take action that could drive passengers away from the rail network
for good.

"The pandemic has changed travel habits - with 25% fewer ticket sales and the
taxpayer stepping in to keep the railways running at a cost of £16bn, equivalent
to £600 per household. We must act now to put the industry on a sustainable
footing.

"We are working with industry to reduce disruption caused by strike action, but
Unions are jumping the gun by announcing this when talks have only just begun.

"We once again want to urge the unions to come to talks with the rail industry
so we can work together to build a better, more modern, passenger-focussed,
railway."

Chairman of the Rail Delivery Group, Steve Montgomery, admitted that
"significant disruption will be inevitable" should the action take place while
Network Rail's chief executive, Andrew Haines, held out hope that a deal could
be agreed to avert the strikes.

"We continue to meet with our trades unions to discuss their pay concerns and
we're doing everything we can to avoid strike action on the railway," he said in
a statement.

"We know that the cost of living has increased and we want to give our people a
pay rise, but the RMT must recognise we are a public body and any pay increase
has to be affordable for taxpayers.

"Travel habits have changed forever and the railway must change as well. We
cannot expect to take more than our fair share of public funds, and so we must
modernise our industry to put it on a sound financial footing for the future.
Failure to modernise will only lead to industry decline and more job losses in
the long run."


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