Bank holiday train chaos as RMT announce 20,000 members will strike on new dates this month and next
Travellers will face bank holiday train chaos as the RMT union announced around 20,000 members will being going on strike this month and next month.
Rail union members at 14 train operators have revealed strike dates from the end of August to the start of September in a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
The RMT union announced this evening that all members involved in the dispute are to take strike action between 00.01am and 11.59pm on Saturday August 26 and the same times on September 2.
The first strike date before the August 28 bank holiday Monday will cause misery for commuters hoping to take a short holiday or spend time with their family.
The union said they were ‘left with little choice but to take further action as the union has seen no improved or revised offer from the Rail Delivery Group’.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: ‘The mood among our members remains solid and determined in our national dispute over pay job security and working conditions.
‘We have had to call further strike action as we have received no improved or revised offer from the Rail Delivery Group.
‘The reason for this is the government has not allowed them a fresh mandate on which discussions could be held.
‘Our members and our union will continue fighting until we can reach a negotiated and just settlement.’
The 14 train operating companies affected by strike action are:
- Chiltern Railways
- Cross Country Trains
- Greater Anglia,
- LNER,
- East Midlands Railway,
- c2c,
- Great Western Railway,
- Northern Trains,
- South Eastern
- South Western Railway
- Transpennine Express,
- Avanti West Coast,
- West Midlands Trains
- GTR (including Gatwick Express)
LNER have said they are aware of the industrial action and that they have now suspended ticket sales for the affected dates of August 26 and September 2.
They wrote: ‘We are aware of planned industrial action on 26 August and 2 September. We are reviewing the outcome of this proposed action and how this might impact LNER services. Tickets for these dates have been temporarily taken off sale.’
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