Rail union holds firm on threat of ‘biggest strike in modern history’

Ballot of RMT members to rule on nationwide action that would ‘bring the country to a standstill’

THE rail union has insisted it will not back down on strike threats as it accused the Transport Secretary of overseeing a “dystopian network”.

Tomorrow, a ballot of 40,000 Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) union members is due to close.

Mick Lynch, the body’s general secretary, has warned that a strike would “bring the country to a standstill”.

Grant Shapps warned that the strikes risked “fatally damaging the railways”

‘The public does not want a de-humanised, Ai-controlled, dystopian rail network’

and would deliver a massive blow to the country. He went on to accuse union bosses of performing an act of self harm if they go ahead with the strikes.

In response to Mr Shapps’s comments, Mr Lynch said: “Passengers have always been opposed to ticket office closures and the public does not want a de-humanised, Ai-controlled, dystopian network that severely disadvantages disabled people, the elderly and women travelling alone at night.”

Mr Lynch added that the union believed in “modernising the railways but we do not believe in sacrificing thousands of jobs, constant pay freezes or making the railways unsafe”.

He added: “That is what government plans will mean for railways if RMT and other transport unions don’t mount a comprehensive defence of the industry.

“A modern railway should have well paid professional staff providing a safe welcoming environment for the public.”

The vote, the results of which will be published on Wednesday, includes staff on Network Rail and 15 train operating companies. The RMT has said any action would be over pay, compulsory redundancies and safety concerns.

Network Rail, Chiltern Railways, Crosscountry Trains, Greater Anglia, LNER, East Midlands Railway and c2c are among those involved.

Other participants include Great Western Railway, Northern Trains, Southeastern, South Western Railway, Island Line, Govia Thameslink Railway including Gatwick Express, Transpennine Express, Avanti West Coast and West Midlands Trains.

Plans are being configured for freight trains to take priority over passenger services to keep supermarket shelves stocked in the event of industrial action.

However, Mr Shapps accused unions of treating strikes as a first rather than last resort, warning that a pledge in the Conservatives’ manifesto stated a requirement that “a minimum service operates during transport strikes”.

Mr Shapps told The Daily Telegraph: “We had a pledge in there about minimum service levels. If they really got to that point then minimum service levels would be a way to work towards protecting those freight routes and those sorts of things. We very much hope they will wake up and smell the coffee.”

The Transport Salaried Staff ’s Association, which will coordinate with the RMT, has threatened the biggest disruption since the General Strike in 1926, over job cuts and pay freezes.

A union source added that instead of strike action they had hoped for “negotiated settlements”.

They added: “When it’s leading to a ballot like this, everyone is waiting for a result. If we have a strong mandate they will think twice before forcing their plans on us.

“They want to put something on us and divvy up the pain. It’s all smoke and mirrors.”