Members of the RMT union working for Network Rail have announced plans to go on strike twice next month after rejecting a pay offer, in a move likely to cause 'severe' disruption.
Rail staff will hold a 24-hour strike from 5pm on 4 June and a 48-hour strike from 5pm on 9 June.
The news comes after industrial action planned for this week was narrowly averted when the union's executive suspended the action following a new offer from Network Rail. Union representatives met today to discuss the deal but it was rejected.
General secretary, Mick Cash, said his rail union had been left with ‘no option’ over the industrial action.
‘Our rail staff deserve a fair reward for the high-pressure, safety-critical work that they undertake day and night and the last thing that we need is a demoralised, burnt-out workforce living in fear for their livelihoods and their futures and the message has come back loud and clear that that is exactly how they feel about the current offer from Network Rail,’ he added.
Mr Cash went on to highlight the large majority secured for the strike action - of the 16,000 balloted RMT members 80% voted for strike action on a 60% turn out - stating it showed the ‘anger of safety-critical staff across the rail network at attacks on their standards of living’.
Network Rail had originally offered a four-year deal of a single £500 payment followed by three years of rises in line with RPI inflation. The most recent offer was for two years, with a 1% rise this year and a rise of about 1.4% next year. There would be no compulsory redundancies for the duration of the agreement.
Network Rail could have to pay £30m in compensation to train companies for each day of the strike, RMT claimed.
Mr Cash added: ‘With no shortage of cash in the bonus pot and to compensate the private train companies, it is no wonder that our members take the view that 1% is wholly inadequate and fails to recognise the massive pressures staff are working under to keep services running safely at a time when the company is generating profits of £1bn.’
He added the union remained ‘available for talks’.
In a statement, Network Rail said it would now restart its contingency planning with the train operators, adding that if a national rail strike goes ahead rail services will be ‘severely affected’.
Chief executive, Mark Carne, said: ‘Our people know that there are ways to improve the way work is done. I have always said that if we work together to realise these benefits there is the possibility to increase pay. We are therefore ready to get around the table with whoever the RMT consider can speak on behalf of their members. It is clearly unacceptable for the RMT to massively disrupt the travelling public with strike action when we are ready to continue talks.’
