What is the dispute on UK railways and could strikes be biggest in modern history?
As the biggest rail union, the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), ballots its members over a strike that could bring the railways to a standstill, we explain what the dispute is all about – and whether the government can stop it.
The RMT has balloted about 40,000 members across Network Rail and 16 train operating companies for industrial action over pay and cuts. Voting ends on Tuesday evening (bar in Scotland) and the results should be announced on Wednesday morning.
The RMT has to give notice, so any strikes will start in late June. All the different train firms are separate bargaining units, with Network Rail also divided into operations and maintenance. If operations – mainly signallers – vote to strike, the railway could be closed. If Aslef eventually takes drivers out, likewise. Otherwise, the immediate impact may be limited.
Pay has been frozen in much of rail since 2020, and inflation has soared. The government has told the railway to reduce costs by about 10%. Network Rail, the state-owned company that runs the infrastructure, believes it can save more than £100m a year through workplace reform. That includes changing its maintenance regime to a “risk-based” assessment and using more technology, rather than having so many boots on the ground.
While no formal proposals have been tabled, unions believe train operating companies will close ticket offices, and pay offers will be far below inflation. They say staff who were lauded as essential frontline workers during the pandemic should not now lose jobs or take effective pay cuts.
Rail finances have been upended by the pandemic and the government is now on the hook for the losses. Pre-2020, the industry took about £4bn in annual taxpayer
Read more on theguardian.com
