UK rail workers to strike again July 27 over pay dispute
British rail workers will go on strike on July 27 over an ongoing pay dispute, a month after the country’s most disruptive railway strike in three decades paralyzed train networks across the U.K. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers said Wednesday its members will walk out for 24 hours, threatening travel chaos during the busy summer holidays
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.British rail workers will go on strike on July 27 over an ongoing pay dispute, a month after the country's most disruptive railway strike in three decades paralyzed train networks across the U.K.
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers said Wednesday its members will walk out for 24 hours, threatening travel chaos during the busy summer holidays.
Union leaders said they have rejected a new pay rise offer from Network Rail to resolve the dispute over jobs, pay and working conditions. They said the “paltry sum” is conditional on union members agreeing to ”drastic changes in their working lives."
“The train operating companies remain stubborn and are refusing to make any new offer which deals with job security and pay," the union's general secretary, Mick Lynch, said.
“Strike action is the only course open to us to make both the rail industry and government understand that this dispute will continue for as long as it takes, until we get a negotiated settlement," he added.
The union staged three strikes last month that saw 40,000 workers walk off their jobs, crippling services across the country.
It said the government's new offer was for a 4% pay rise, another 2% next year and a further 2% conditional on achieving “modernization milestones."
Union leaders say that isn't enough amid soaring inflation — currently at 9.1% — and the worst cost of living crisis in decades.