Rail unions plot six months of strikes ahead of transport chaos this week
Rail strikes could continue for the next six months if a pay row fails to be resolved, which may strikes all the way up until Christmas if the pay row isn’t resolved.
It comes amid the largest bout of industrial action in nearly 30 years, as members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union rail workers walk out on 21, 23 and 25 June.
Transport for London (TfL) has already urged Londoners to avoid travelling on 21 June as more than 40,000 workers are set to walk out in a separate tube and rail strike, as part of two separate disputes involving Network Rail’s attempt to axe 2,500 maintenance jobs and a London Underground clash over pensions, job losses and pay.
After negotiations failed to stop the strikes on Sunday, rail bosses told The Telegraph they are now preparing for a war of “attrition” that could last for months.
Another round of last-ditch talks are to go ahead today.
The “mandate” for six months of further strikes follows a report by The Times, claiming that the rail industry’s plan to close all 980 ticket offices in England will begin in September.