Rail union postpones November 3rd strike because it falls on Royal British Legion’s Poppy Day – but passengers will now face disruption on the 9th instead

• RMT union have delayed rail strikes on November 3 to the 9th due to Poppy Day
• Boss Mick Lynch urged new PM Rishi Sunak ‘unshackle’ industry to reach a deal
• Members working for Network Rail will now strike on November 5, 7 and 9
• TSSA who had also planned November 3 strikes now expected to delay them

The RMT union has postponed rail strikes on November 3 as it fell on the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Day but has confirmed passengers will face disruption on November 9 instead in a long running dispute over jobs, pay and conditions.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) boss Mick Lynch urged new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to ‘unshackle the rail industry’ so a deal can be reached as it was confirmed its members in Network Rail will strike on November 5, 7 and 9.

RMT members at a number of train operating companies will take action on November 5.

In separate disputes, London Underground and Overground (Arriva Rail London) members will strike on November 10.

The RMT union said that having been made aware of the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Day on November 3, its executive has decided to re-arrange strike action for the 9th.

The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA), who had action planned for November 3, has also told MailOnline they expect to follow suit.

Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) boss Mick Lynch (pictured on the picket line at Euston Station on October 8) urged new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to ‘unshackle the rail industry’ so a deal can be reached

The RMT union said that having been made aware of the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Day on November 3, its executive has decided to re-arrange strike action for the 9th. Pictured: Serving personnel hand out poppies and collect donations for the Royal British Legion Appeal at Liverpool Street Station, during London Poppy Day November 4 last year

Members of the Royal British Legion will almost always be seen fundraising at train stations across the country on Poppy Day, trading donations for the red poppies.

RMT made a similar decision during a 2016 dispute where strike action clashed with the Royal British Legion event, a statement from the union added.

The union said it will continue its industrial campaign until it reaches a negotiated settlement on job security, pay and working conditions.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: ‘Our focus in this dispute is the rail employers who have yet to make an offer that will create the conditions for a negotiated settlement.

‘I call upon the new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to unshackle the rail industry so they can come to a settlement with RMT.

‘We will vigorously pursue our industrial campaign until we achieve a deal.’

Network Rail previously said the offer it made to workers in July is worth worth per cent over two years, but RMT described this as a ‘paltry sum’ representing a real terms pay cut. 

The RMT said it will continue its industrial campaign until it reaches a negotiated settlement on job security, pay and working conditions. Pictured: An empty platform at Paddington during RMT strikes on October 8

People holds banners and placards as they attend a RMT union train strike rally outside King’s Cross on June 25

This comes as fellow rail union the TSSA announced a week of industrial action between November 3 and 8 yesterday.

The TSSA said that thousands of union members working for Network Rail were going to strike on November 3, 4, 5 and 7.

As well as this members in individual train companies laid out plans to take strike action and ‘action short of strike’ on November 3, 4, 7 and 8.

But a spokesperson for TSSA told MailOnline this evening that after discussions today they are ‘expected to follow suit’ of the RMT and postpone action on November 3.

They added that they will release a confirmation of the details coming tomorrow.

Members working across five rail companies, South Western Rail, Southeastern, West Midlands Trains, Northern and Great Western, have planned to take action short of strike action for the whole of November, and a sixth company, TransPennine Express will join them from November 7.

There will also be strike action by members working for Avanti West Coast on November 3 and 5 (although November 3 will likely be postponed) as well as C2C rail on November 8.

Strikes are planned by TSSA members working for Avanti West Coast on November 3 and 5 but action on November 3 is expected to be postponed

TSSA say it is seeking a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies, a pay rise which meets the cost-of-living crisis and no unagreed changes to terms and conditions.

The union’s general secretary, Manuel Cortes, said yesterday: ‘Our members never take industrial action lightly.

‘We would far rather find a fair negotiated solution to this now long-running dispute, but we simply have no choice.’

He added: ‘Across our railways, our members recently stepped up to the plate yet again and went above and beyond to meet unprecedented demand during the period of public mourning to provide additional services and keep the public safe, much like they did during the pandemic.

‘They prove their worth time and time again and yet they are still undervalued.’

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