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Members of the RMT on Network Rail have rejected the latest pay offer and will go ahead with two 48-hour strikes this week, the union has announced. A total of 63.6 percent voted to reject an offer from Network Rail on an 83 percent turnout, according to the union.
Network Rail’s offer included a five percent pay rise back dated to January and a four percent pay rise over a two-year period from 2023 as well as a guarantee of no compulsory job losses until January 2025. The RMT said there would be “thousands of job losses” and a 50 percent cut in scheduled maintenance tasks as well as a 30 percent increase in “unsocial hours”.
The union said Network Rail would try and impose these “detrimental” changes from December 15.
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “This is a huge rejection of Network Rail’s substandard offer and shows our members are determined to take further strike action in pursuit of a negotiated settlement.
“The Government is refusing to lift a finger to prevent these strikes and it is clear they want to make effective strike action illegal in Britain.
“We will resist that and our members, along with the entire trade union movement will continue their campaign for a square deal for workers, decent pay increases and good working conditions.”
Travellers face serious disruption in the coming days due to industrial action across the country.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) at National Highways in operational roles on roads and in control centres are due to take part in a series of staggered strikes from this Friday to January 7.
National Highways, which is responsible for managing England’s motorways and major A-roads, does not expect the strikes to have a significant impact on traffic as only around eight percent of its frontline workforce are PCS members.
But many of its routes already suffer from severe congestion during the Christmas getaway.
Strikes by Border Force workers from December 23 are also likely to cause disruption to plane passengers.
PCS members at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow airports are set to walk out.
Extensive passport checks are only carried out on arrival, but long queues could see passengers held on planes after they land, causing delays to departures.
Airlines have been urged by Border Force to cancel up to 30 percent of flights on strike days to prevent chaos at airports.
But easyJet has said it intends to run its full schedule as it wants to take its customers on their planned trips “at this important time of year”.
The only sea port affected by the Border Force strikes is Newhaven in east Sussex from where ferry services operate to and from Dieppe, France.
A walkout in Kent affecting the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel would likely cause severe disruption.
Eurostar is expected to run a revised timetable between Tuesday and Saturday due to the reduction in running hours on rail lines caused by the RMT strikes at Network Rail.
The operator is not affected by the Border Force walkout and does not anticipate its services will be affected when RMT members employed as security staff by private contractor Mitie at London St Pancras International go on strike over the next fortnight.
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