Members
of
the
RMT
have
rejected
the
latest
pay
offer
from
Network
Rail.

The
proposed
increase
would
have
been
5
and
4
per
cent
over
two
years,
but
the
union
is
opposing
the
offer,
along
with
job
losses.
The
majority
against
the
settlement
was
63.6
per
cent,
and
the
turnout
was
83
per
cent.

The
result
of
the
ballot
was
announced
on
the
eve
of
a
48-hour
national
strike,
which
started
this
morning.
Only
limited
services
are
running
on
certain
routes,
and
many
lines
have
no
trains
at
all.
The
walkout
has
affected
nearly
all
operators
in
England,
but
services
in
Scotland
and
Wales
are
also
disrupted
by
the
lack
of
Network
Rail
signallers.

Network
Rail
chief
executive
Andrew
Haines
said
there
had
been
‘clearly
a
significant
number
of
Network
Rail
colleagues
who
want
this
deal,
but
are
caught
up
by
these
needless
strikes
and
collective
bargaining’,
while
rail
minister
Huw
Merriman
described
the
walkouts
as
‘very
damaging’.
He
urged
RMT
general
secretary
Mick
Lynch
to
‘come
back
to
the
table’.

However,
Mr
Lynch
said:
‘This
is
a
huge
rejection
of
Network
Rail’s
substandard
offer
and
shows
that
our
members
are
determined
to
take
further
strike
action
in
pursuit
of
a
negotiated
settlement.
The
government
is
refusing
to
lift
a
finger
to
prevent
these
strikes
and
it
is
clear
they
want
to
make
effective
strike
action
illegal
in
Britain.

‘We
will
resist
that
and
our
members,
along
with
the
entire
trade
union
movement
will
continue
their
campaign
for
a
square
deal
for
workers,
decent
pay
increases
and
good
working
conditions.’

The
Department
for
Transport
said
it
had
helped
with
a
’fair
and
improved
offer’,
and
that
the
pay
increases
were
more
than
those
in
the
private
sector.

The
strikes
today
and
tomorrow
are
set
to
be
followed
by
a
second
48-hour
walkout
on
Friday
and
Saturday,
and
Network
Rail
staff
are
also
due
to
strike
between
the
evening
of
24
December
and
27
December,
disrupting
Christmas
engineering
work.

If
there
is
no
settlement
in
the
meantime,
two
more
48-hour
national
strikes
have
also
been
called
for
3-4
and
6-7
January.