Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Abigail O'Leary

London Underground workers to walk out during week of rail strikes across UK

London Underground workers are to walk out during a week of rail strikes.

Staff will walk out on August 19 in a dispute over jobs and pensions, says the RMT Union.

It come as Britain's trains will grind to a halt once again next week as a series of rail strikes will see 40,000 workers down tools for 24 hours, it has been confirmed.

Brits face more travel misery as the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) press ahead with industrial action on Wednesday, July 27.

Workers from Network Rail and 14 train firms will take part in the strike.

London Underground workers are to walk out during a week of rail strikes. (LightRocket via Getty Images)

Train drivers working across seven companies will also strike on August 18 and 20 in a dispute over pay, job security and conditions, their union Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association has announced.

The TSSA had already confirmed strikes at Avanti West Coast this coming Wednesday, prompting a reminder for rail passengers that services will be severely disrupted.

These strikes next month will include station staff, management staff and operational and maintenance staff in Avanti West Coast, c2c, East Midlands Railway, CrossCountry, Great Western Railway, LNER, and Southeastern.

Action short of strike will be taken in West Midlands Trains, Northern, Greater Anglia, TransPennine Express and Southeastern.

Staff will walk out on August 19 in a dispute over jobs and pensions, says the RMT Union (PA)
A strike by more than 40,000 workers at Network Rail and 14 train operating companies will go ahead on Wednesday after talks failed to resolve a bitter dispute over pay, jobs and condition (Getty Images)

Only a fifth of services will run, on around half of the network, as members of the Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT) also strike in two days time.

Manuel Cortes, TSSA general secretary, said: “This is a momentous day for our members. The Tories’ cost-of-living crisis is the worst in living memory.

“Most of our members are going into a third or fourth year of pay freezes, seeing their real take home pay decrease. For many rail workers in our union this is the first time they have been directly involved in an industrial dispute.

“We do not take strike action lightly, but enough is enough. The Conservative government is the clear block to a deal for rail workers."

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "It’s hugely disappointing that, rather than commit to serious dialogue with the industry, the TSSA is seeking to cause further misery to passengers by cynically coordinating strikes to cause maximum disruption to the rail network.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said union members were more determined than ever to secure a decent pay rise (PA)

“Our railway is in desperate need of modernisation to make it work better for passengers and be financially sustainable for the long term.

“The only thing more strikes will do, however, is wreak further havoc on the very people unions claim to stand up for – people who, on average, stumped up £600 per household to keep our railways running throughout the pandemic while ensuring not a single worker lost their job.

“We urge the TSSA to reconsider and work with its employers, not against them, to agree a new way forward.”

They are the same days as the Rail, Maritime and Transport union is striking against Network Rail and 14 train operators.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said union members were more determined than ever to secure a decent pay rise.

He said earlier yesterday: “Network Rail have not made any improvement on their previous pay offer and the train companies have not offered us anything new.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.