More than 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union across Network Rail and 14 train operating companies are due to strike on December 13-14, 16 -17 and on January 3-4 and 6-7.
There will also be an overtime ban across the railways from December 18 until January 2, meaning RMT members be taking industrial action for four weeks.
RMT assistant general secretary John Leach said members are “desperate” and have been left with no option but to take industrial action. He said he hopes UK Transport Secretary Mark Harper “puts his shoulder behind the wheel and gets a deal moving” when he meets with RMT general secretary Mick Lynch on Thursday.
Leach told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme:
Let’s hope that the third secretary of state down in England in less than six months has got something better to say than Grant Shapps and Anne-Marie Trevelyan before him and actually puts his shoulder behind the wheel and gets a deal moving.
There’s a deal that can be done here, we’re professional negotiators, our members just want a pay rise, they haven’t had one for two or three years and this will be nearly the fourth coming up.
They’ve just got to commit themselves to fairness for our members, but if they don’t then we’re going to see more and more disruption like this and we are determined to see this through for our members.
Asked how long strikes could go on for, he said:
We will do what we need to do and take this forward.
Rail passengers will face more and more disruption unless a settlement is reached in the long running dispute over jobs, pay and conditions, a senior union chief has warned.
More than 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union across Network Rail and 14 train operating companies are due to strike on December 13-14, 16 -17 and on January 3-4 and 6-7.
There will also be an overtime ban across the railways from December 18 until January 2, meaning RMT members be taking industrial action for four weeks.
RMT assistant general secretary John Leach said members are “desperate” and have been left with no option but to take industrial action. He said he hopes UK Transport Secretary Mark Harper “puts his shoulder behind the wheel and gets a deal moving” when he meets with RMT general secretary Mick Lynch on Thursday.
Leach told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme:
Let’s hope that the third secretary of state down in England in less than six months has got something better to say than Grant Shapps and Anne-Marie Trevelyan before him and actually puts his shoulder behind the wheel and gets a deal moving.
There’s a deal that can be done here, we’re professional negotiators, our members just want a pay rise, they haven’t had one for two or three years and this will be nearly the fourth coming up.
They’ve just got to commit themselves to fairness for our members, but if they don’t then we’re going to see more and more disruption like this and we are determined to see this through for our members.
Asked how long strikes could go on for, he said:
We will do what we need to do and take this forward.
