Ministers today slammed unions today for organising what will be the biggest strike on the UK railways for thirty years.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers union (RMT) will stop work on June 21, 23 and 25, with the network reduced to just a skeleton staff over the period.
More talks were said to be planned to find a solution to the issues over pay and staff losses that have sparked the proposed walk-out, but in the meantime both sides blamed each other for the industrial action.
Network Rail said today it was drawing up contingency plans for the strike, which is predicted will see only mainline services run and then just between 7am and 7pm.
Andrew Haines, Network Rail’s chief executive, said: “There are two weeks until the first strike is planned. We will use this time to keep talking to our unions and, through compromise and common sense on both sides, we hope to find a solution.”
The RMT also said it would be open to “meaningful proposals” that would guarantee no compulsory redundancies and address pay.
A spokesman for the prime minister branded the unions as “selfish and thoroughly irresponsible”, while Mick Lynch, head of the RMT, retorted that Boris Johnson's government were “experts” in that area.
One bit of good news for travellers is that refunds will be paid for tickets bought ahead of the industrial action, the Rail Delivery Group confirmed.
According to the Telegraph, each day of industrial action will cost the Treasury £30mln in lost fares, though the impact of the strikes is expected to last a week given how it is spread out.
The action if it goes ahead, will affect 50,000 staff and 13 train operators.
On 21 June, RMT workers on London’s Underground are also expected to strike over a separate pay dispute.
Britain’s rail network was effectively nationalised during the pandemic with train operators now running services on a contract and management fee basis.
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