Rail workers to walk out in fresh strike action

Railway workers at 14 train companies are to stage a fresh strike next month in a longrunning dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will walk out on June 2.

The strike will see 20,000 railway workers in catering, train managers and station staff take action, affecting train services throughout the country.

The union said an offer from the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) was unacceptable, claiming no new proposals had been made since the last strike on May 13.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "The Government is once again not allowing the Rail Delivery Group to make an improved offer that we can consider.

"Therefore, we have to pursue our industrial campaign to win a negotiated settlement on jobs, pay and conditions.

“Ministers underestimate the strength of feeling our members, who have just given us a new six-month strike mandate and are determined to see this through until we get an acceptable resolution.”

An RDG spokesperson said: "In recent discussions with the RMT, we have continued to stand by the fair, industry-level dispute resolution proposal agreed line by line with their negotiating team.

"By calling more strike action, the RMT leadership have chosen to prolong this dispute without ever giving their members a chance to have a say on their own offer.

"Instead, they will be subject to yet more lost pay through industrial action, customers will suffer more disruption, and the industry will continue to suffer huge damage.”