Haines urges RMT to vote on offer

“Put our offer to the vote,” Network Rail Chief Executive Andrew Haines has told the RMT.

“Our latest offer - an 8% pay rise over two years with other benefits - is affordable from within our own budget, but the RMT refuses to allow its members to vote on it,” he said.

“The decision by unions to strike again serves only to prolong disruption for passengers, undermine the railway’s recovery from the pandemic, and ensure railway staff forego even more of their pay unnecessarily.

“We want to give our employees a decent pay rise. It isn’t fair to ask taxpayers or passengers to fund this, so we must fund it ourselves, which is achievable if the unions work with us to modernise and run the railway more efficiently.”