British Railways was again suspended on Wednesday as staff went on strike over low wages, job security and working conditions.
The latest strike-prevention talks collapsed last week, a month after a three-day strike in June.
More than 40,000 workers from Network Rail, 14 railroad companies and members of the Rail, Marine and Transportation (RMT) union took part in the strikes.
The outage will affect transport services in London as they use sections of the route under Network Rail’s jurisdiction. There will also be a stop for members of the Transportation Staff Association (TSSA) who work in Avanti West Coast.
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “Network Rail has not improved on the previous payment proposal and the rail companies have not offered us anything new. The government should stop interfering in this dispute so rail employers can come to a negotiated solution with us.”
The strike began after union leaders rejected Network Rail’s “frivolous” offer of a 4% pay rise through the end of 2022 and 4% next year if workers agree to changes in working conditions.
The strike coincides with school summer holidays, and Network Rail and the government say it could affect the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, which starts on Thursday.
After the strike was called, Network Rail accused the union of “walking away” from negotiations and said the measure could have been avoided. “It is now very clear that the political campaign of the union takes precedence over the representation of the interests of its members,” explained Tim Scheffler, Network Rail’s negotiator team leader.
Source: Telegraph