THE RMT rail union will hold a series of 48-hour strikes in December and January after industry bosses failed to offer any new deals to reach a settlement.
Over 40,000 members across Network Rail and 14 Train Operating Companies will take strike action on 13, 14, 16 and 17 December and on January 3rd, 4th, 6th and 7th.
There will also be an overtime ban across the railways from 18 December until 2nd January, meaning RMT will be taking industrial action for four weeks.
The RMT said: ‘Despite every effort made by our negotiators, it is clear that that the government is directly interfering with our attempts to reach a settlement.
‘The union suspended previous strike action in good faith to allow for intensive negotiations to resolve the dispute.
‘Yet, Network Rail have failed to make an improved offer on jobs, pay and conditions for our members during the last two weeks of talks.
‘At the same time, Rail Delivery Group, representing the train operating companies, have also broken a promise to make a meaningful offer on pay and conditions and even cancelled negotiations that were due to take place yesterday.
‘We also have evidence from all 14 of the train companies denying that Rail Delivery Group has the authority to conduct negotiations on their behalf, even as the RDG urged us to come back to the table.’
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: ‘This latest round of strikes will show how important our members are to the running of this country and will send a clear message that we want a good deal on job security, pay and conditions for our people.
‘We have been reasonable, but it is impossible to find a negotiated settlement when the dead hand of government is presiding over these talks.
‘The employers are in disarray and saying different things to different people sometimes at the same time.
‘This whole process has become a farce that only the new Secretary of State can resolve. When I meet him later this week, I will deliver that message.
‘In the meantime, our message to the public is we are sorry to inconvenience you, but we urge you to direct your anger and frustration at the government and railway employers during this latest phase of action.
‘We call upon all trades unionists in Britain to take a stand and fight for better pay and conditions in their respective industries. And we will seek to coordinate strike action and demonstrations where we can.
‘Working people across our class need a pay rise and we are determined to win that for our members in RMT.’
