The
RMT
said
last
night
that
it
is
suspending
all
industrial
action
by
its
Network
Rail
members
after
a
new
offer
was
received.

No
further
details
have
been
given,
although
the
RMT
has
promised
that
‘Further
updates
will
be
given
on
all
aspects
of
the
national
rail
dispute
in
the
coming
days.’

The
Rail
Delivery
Group
has
reacted
by
calling
for
a
ballot
of
RMT
members
working
for
train
operators.

The
RDG
said:
‘The
RMT
leadership’s
decision
to
put
Network
Rail’s
deal
to
its
membership
is
a
welcome
development,
but
train
operating
staff
will
rightly
be
asking
why
their
union
continues
to
deny
them
the
opportunity
to
have
their
say
on
our
equivalent
offer.

‘Instead
of
inflicting
more
lost
pay
on
its
members
and
disruption
to
our
passengers,
we
are
calling
on
the
union
to
call
off
their
strikes
and
meet
us
for
urgent
talks
to
resolve
this
dispute.’

At
the
moment,
strikes
affecting
14
train
operators
are
still
set
to
be
called
on
16,
18
and
30
March,
and
also
on
1
April.

The
RDG
has
previously
warned
that
national
pay
negotiations
could
be
suspended
unless
the
‘best
and
final’
offer
was
put
to
its
members
in
a
ballot.

Chief
employers’
negotiator
Tim
Shoveller
had
told
Railnews:
‘We
spent
January
working
with
the
RMT
and
were
confident
that
the
package
agreed
would
be
accepted
by
another
4000
RMT
members
which
would
take
us
over
the
50
per
cent
acceptance
threshold,
but
this
was
not
put
to
members
to
vote
on.
The
fact
the
RMT
continues
to
refuse
to
put
this
to
the
members
is
our
biggest
challenge
and
also
for
their
members
who
want
a
vote
and
not
to
lose
any
more
money.’