RMT set for Britain-wide strike after vote

By ALASTAIR DALTON
Published 13th May 2015, 01:01 BST
Members of the RMT union backed walkouts by 4-1 on a turnout of 60 per cent, beating planned Government thresholds on strike ballots. Picture: ContributedMembers of the RMT union backed walkouts by 4-1 on a turnout of 60 per cent, beating planned Government thresholds on strike ballots. Picture: Contributed
Members of the RMT union backed walkouts by 4-1 on a turnout of 60 per cent, beating planned Government thresholds on strike ballots. Picture: Contributed
MILLIONS of passengers’ travel plans were plunged into uncertainty today after the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) voted for the first Britain-wide rail strike for 20 years.

The threatened walkout among 16,000 Network Rail workers over pay also comes as the first major test for the new Conservative UK government, which is planning new measures to curb strikes.

The RMT has yet to announce any action, but the potential prospect of disruption alone is likely to prompt some passengers to reconsider travel plans.

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Industry sources also pointed out that even action short of a strike could be highly disruptive because of the difficulty of finding enough managers to cover staff on days off if there was a work to rule.

RMT members likely to be involved include signallers and track maintenance staff, who are crucial to enable trains to run.

A spokesman for the new ScotRail-Network Rail alliance, which took the Scottish network yesterday, said: “We are developing detailed contingency plans for Scotland’s railway should a strike take place and will seek to run as many services as possible for our passengers.

“Keeping customers informed and helping them to plan in advance will be a key priority during any dispute.