Threat of biggest rail strike in modern UK history
More than 40,000 railway workers are to be balloted in a dispute over jobs and pay that a union says could prompt the biggest rail strike in modern history.
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) said on Wednesday that staff will be asked to vote on strike action over Network Rail’s plans to cut at least 2,500 maintenance jobs as part of a £2bn reduction in spending on the network.
Meanwhile, workers at train operators have been subject to pay freezes and changes to their terms and conditions.
The RMT said the strike ballot was the biggest of members for a single dispute it has undertaken since it was formed in 1990. The ballot opens on 26 April and closes on 24 May, so strike action could begin in June.
The RMT’s general secretary, Mick Lynch, said: “Railway workers have had to contend with pay freezes, the prospect of losing their jobs and repeated attacks on their terms and conditions.
“Removing 2,500 safety-critical jobs from Network Rail will spell disaster for the public, make accidents more likely and will increase the possibility of trains flying off the tracks.
“Train operating companies have praised our members for being key workers during the pandemic but have refused to keep staff pay in line with inflation and soaring living costs.
“As a result, thousands of railway workers have seen their living standards plummet and have run out of patience.
“The way for trade unions to effectively take on the cost of living crisis is to stand up for their members at work and take industrial action when employers are not moved by the force of reasoned argument.
“A national rail strike will bring the country to a standstill but our members’ livelihoods and passenger safety are our priorities.”
The ballot
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