National rail strike affecting local services on 27 July

Railway workers will once again take strike action over job security, pay and working conditions on Wednesday 27 July, affecting local services.

The 24-hour stoppage comes after Network Rail made an offer of 4% in the first year followed by a possible 4% in the second year, conditional on RMT members accepting all attacks on their terms and conditions.

RMT says it is “yet to receive a pay offer or guarantees over job losses from the train operating companies.”

Network Rail members will strike from 2am on Wednesday 27 July for 24 hours whilst Northern members will take action from 00.01 until 23.59 on 27 July.

Northern says: “We expect major disruption to travel on strike days and be aware trains are subject to short notice changes, so check before you travel.”

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "The offer from Network Rail represents a real terms pay cut for our members and the paltry sum is conditional on RMT members agreeing to drastic changes in their working lives.

"We have made progress on compulsory redundancies. But Network Rail are still seeking to make our members poorer when we have won in some cases double what they are offering, with other rail operators.

"The train operating companies remain stubborn and are refusing to make any new offer which deals with job security and pay.

"Strike action is the only course open to us to make both the rail industry and government understand that this dispute will continue for as long as it takes, until we get a negotiated settlement.

"The public who will be inconvenienced by our strike action need to understand that it is the government's shackling of Network Rail and the train operating companies that means the rail network will be shut down for 24 hours.

"We remain open for further talks."

Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, said: “It is incredibly frustrating the RMT has again chosen to disrupt our passengers, and even more so that they haven’t even put what was a fair and affordable two-year pay offer to their members. It is also deeply worrying that these strikes have clearly been designed to disrupt spectators heading to the opening of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on 28 July, an event of huge national significance.

“We have been clear that we can only fund an increase from our own budgets, and the only way we can afford that is by modernising working practices. The RMT’s rejection of our latest offer can only mean they want a pay increase to be funded either by more taxpayer support or higher passenger fares, neither of which we think are fair.

“We urge the RMT to call this action off, get back round the table with us and show some willingness to compromise.”

An additional rail strike is planned by the train drivers’ union, Aslef for Saturday 30 July, but this does not – at this time – affect Northern services.

The Aslef strike will cover Chiltern, Great Western Railway, London North Eastern Railway, London Overground, Greater Anglia, Southeastern, Hull Trains and West Midlands rail services.