Boris Johnson will condemn unions for what is expected to be the biggest train strike in three decades.
Around 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 13 train operators will walk out for all of Tuesday, as well as Thursday and Saturday in a dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
Just one in five trains will run on strike days, mainly on main lines, and then only for around 11 hours.
Network Rail has warned the industrial action will cause six days of disruption because of the knock-on effect on services on the days in between.
Ahead of a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the prime minister will argue the unions are “harming the very people they claim to be helping” and will call for a “sensible compromise”.
‘DNA of Rishi Sunak’ all over issues, union says, as strike talks fail – rail strikes latest
There will also be a strike on the London Underground on Tuesday by RMT and Unite union members, in a separate row which will cause major disruption to the Tube.
Talks to avert the rail strike were held until Monday afternoon, but remained unresolved – with both sides blaming each other for the lack of a breakthrough.
The RMT union is asking for a pay rise of 7%, which is lower than inflation but higher than that offered by employers.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said the dispute could drag on for months, adding: “It is clear that the Tory government, after slashing £4bn of funding from National Rail and Transport for London, has now actively prevented a settlement to this dispute.
“The rail companies have now proposed pay rates that are massively under the relevant rates of inflation, coming on top of the pay freezes of the past few years.
“At the behest of the government, companies are also seeking to implement thousands of job cuts and have failed to give any guarantee against compulsory redundancies.”
Source : skynews
