The prospect of the biggest rail strike in decades has come one step closer after thousands of workers backed industrial action.
Railroad workers have voted overwhelmingly in favor of the strike, the RMT union announced: a total of 71% of those who voted took part in the vote with 89% voting in favor of the strike and 11% against.
The union will now decide when to call strikes, which will force some parts of the network to stop. It will demand urgent talks with Network Rail and the 15 train companies in order to reach an agreement before the action.
Services could be reduced by about one-fifth of normal weekday hours. It is also possible that trains run only part of the day, such as from 7 am to 7 pm, and only on the main lines.
There are three issues at the heart of the union dispute: wages, mandatory layoffs and security concerns.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Today’s overwhelming support from railroad workers is a demand for the union’s approach and sends a clear message that members want a decent pay rise, job security and without mandatory dismissals.
“Our NEC will now meet to discuss a timetable for the strike action from mid-June, but we sincerely hope that ministers will encourage employers to return to the negotiating table and reach a reasonable agreement with the RMT “.
If the strikes continue, it will cost the rail industry about £ 30 million a day, according to sources.
The government demands savings
The dispute stems from government demands for savings in a network that was backed by the taxpayer when the number of passengers sank during the COVID crisis.
The Department of Transportation estimates the sum at £ 16 billion.
But the union argues that Network Rail’s plans, yet to be publicly disclosed, would lead to job cuts and compromise safety.
He argues that Network Rail intends to cut at least 2,500 maintenance jobs as part of a £ 2bn reduction in network spending, while train company staff have been subject to wage freezes , threats to jobs and attacks on their terms and conditions.
RMT says its members also deserve a negotiated wage deal, as the cost-of-living crisis accelerates, following an effective wage freeze from 2020.
Which railroad workers voted in favor of the strike?
The RMT said it voted for more than 40,000 of its members on Network Rail and the following train companies:
• Chiltern Railways cross-country trains
• Great England
• LNER
• East Midlands Railway
• c2c
• Great Western Railway
• Northern trains
• Southeastern Railway
• Southwest Railroad
• Island Line
• Govia Thameslink (including Gatwick Express)
• Transpennine Express
• West Coast Adventure
• West Midlands trains
“Everyone loses if there is a strike”
Andrew Haines, chief executive of Network Rail, has accused the union of “jumping”.[iing] the weapon “.
“Everyone loses if there is a strike,” he said. “We know that our people are concerned about job security and pay. As a public entity, we have been working to provide a pay rise that taxpayers can afford, and we continue to discuss it with our unions.
“We urge the RMT to sit with us and keep talking, not walking, so that we can find a compromise and avoid harmful industrial action.
Read more: Railroad strike could cause “heart attack” on life-sustaining industry
“We are at a key point in the recovery of the railway from the pandemic. The taxpayer has provided the industry with £ 16 billion in additional life support over the last two years and this cannot continue.
“Travel habits have changed forever and the railway must also change to adapt to this new reality. We believe that by modernizing – creating safer jobs for our people and operating the railway more efficiently – we can build a sustainable future with a railroad that delivers for passengers and taxpayers.
“Any industrial action now would be disastrous for the recovery of our industry and severely affect the supply and transportation chains of vital goods. It would also serve to undermine our collective ability to pay the wage increases we want to make.”
Image: Now the union will decide when to call strikes
Heart attack on a network “already in life support”
Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, told Sky News on Tuesday that any widespread strike could lead to a “heart attack” on a network that already has life support and that any such action would be “very, very premature”.
The RMT said there was no immediate possibility of setting dates for the strike, which could be the most disruptive since 1994, as it wanted talks with ministers and other parties involved in the dispute.
He has hinted at some action on the issue of pay, but clearly there is bad blood between the couple.
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The comments in a Sunday Telegraph interview in which Mr. Shapps said the government was looking to draft laws that would guarantee minimum levels of service while industrial action has raised union attacks.
Shapps has also confirmed that contingency plans being prepared for any rail strike will prioritize freight traffic over passenger trains to ensure that shelves are kept stocked.