British rail union launches two-day strike
Members of Britain's biggest rail union working for Network Rail have launched a two-day strike over jobs and conditions, a Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union spokesman said on Saturday.
By Agencies |
LONDON: Members of Britain's biggest rail union working for Network Rail have launched a two-day strike over jobs and conditions, a Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union spokesman said on Saturday.
"If there is a signal failure it will not be put right," a RMT spokesman told Reuters, underlining the impact the action could have. "Huge amounts of maintenance work have already had to be cancelled and the effect on services will be cumulative."
RMT and Network Rail are trying to reach an agreement over terms and conditions for workers after the rail company brought maintenance work back in-house four years ago. RMT members voted by a margin of nearly three-to-one for a strike, which is due to finish on Sunday evening.
"We're expecting rock-solid support from our 12,000 maintenance members, not least because the company has turned a dispute about harmonisation into an attack on jobs and conditions," RMT general secretary Bob Crow said in a statement.
"If Network Rail wants to settle this dispute it should get round the table and negotiate a harmonisation package that is acceptable to our members," he said. Network Rail was not available for comment.a
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