PA MediaCopyright: PA Media
RMT Secretary General Mick Lynch Image title: RMT Secretary General Mick Lynch
The strike has been called by the National Union of Railway, Maritime and Transport Workers, whose members include everyone from guards and signalmen to catering and cleaning staff.
The union says workers, many of whom continued to work during the pandemic, have experienced pay cuts in real terms and are now facing a cost-of-living crisis.
He has accused the government of preventing railway companies from freely negotiating pay.
The union also opposes Network Rail’s plans to cut 2,500 maintenance jobs as it seeks to save £ 2bn over the next two years.
Network Rail says it would offer a pay rise of more than 3%, but only if the union agrees to modernize work practices.
Its chief negotiator, Tim Shoveller, says about 1,800 jobs were expected to be cut, but that the “vast majority” would go through “voluntary dismissal and natural waste.”
He insists he would not consider any changes to make the railways less secure and that modernization is needed.
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
The government says it is the responsibility of the railway companies to negotiate.
But Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that passengers must be prepared to “stay the course”, insisting that rail sector reforms are in the best interests of the traveling public.
Downing Street says 16 billion pounds of taxpayer money was used to support railroads during the Covid pandemic, but with the number of passengers still down by a fifth and many companies adopting hybrid work, it needs to be modernized. to avoid rising ticket prices and the failure of operators.