Rail and tube strikes to go ahead next week, RMT union confirms
Union leaders have confirmed that next week’s rail and tube strikes will go ahead after talks failed to resolve a bitter row over pay, jobs and conditions.
The three 24-hour strikes by 40,000 Rail, Maritime and Transport union members will cause almost a week of disruption.
The RMT said it had held discussions in the past few weeks at a senior level with Network Rail, train operators and London Underground.
Its general secretary, Mick Lynch, said: “Despite the best efforts of our negotiators no viable settlements to the disputes have been created.”
He confirmed that strikes at Network Rail and 13 train operators would go ahead next week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and on London Underground on Tuesday.
A special timetable will be in operation from 20 to 26 June. Several operators have already told passengers not to attempt to travel on strike days.
Lynch said: “It has to be restated that the source of these disputes is the decision by the Tory government to cut £4bn of funding from our transport systems, £2bn from national rail and £2bn from Transport for London.
“As a result of this transport austerity imposed by the government, the employing companies have taken decisions to savage the Railway Pension Scheme and the Transport for London scheme, cutting benefits, making staff work longer, and poorer in retirement, while paying increased contributions.”
He said thousands of jobs were being cut across the rail networks and that workers faced below-inflation pay rises.
“In the face of this massive attack on our people the RMT cannot be passive,” he said. “So today, having heard the reports on the discussions that have been taking place we are confirming that the strike action scheduled to take place on 21, 23 and 25 June will
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