Members
of
the
RMT


working
for
most
train
operators
in
England
are
staging
a
24-hour
strike
today,
and
the
stoppage
is
causing
widespread
disruption.

Two
more
strikes
have
been
called
for
Saturday
and
29
July,
which
is
the
following
Saturday.
There
will
also
be
major
disruption
on
London
Underground
next
week.

The
stoppages
have
coincided
with
the
start
of
the
peak
holiday
season.

The
union
says
there
have
no
new
talks
in
the
long
dispute
over
pay
and
conditions
on
National
Rail,
and
tensions
have
also
been
increased
by
proposals
to
close
most
station
ticket
offices
in
England,
which
the
RMT
opposes.

RMT
general
secretary
Mick
Lynch
said:
‘I
am
proud
of
our
members
for
showing
such
fortitude
and
resolve
in
this
long
running
dispute.

‘Our
national
dispute
is
about
pay
job
security
and
working
conditions.
The
recent
attack
on
ticket
offices
and
the
threat
to
destaff
our
railways,
has
galvanised
a
huge
groundswell
of
public
support
which
we
are
grateful
for.

‘Our
members
and
our
union
will
not
be
cowed
by
rail
bosses
or
government
ministers
and
our
dispute
will
continue
until
we
can
reach
a
negotiated
settlement.

‘We
remain
steadfast
in
our
industrial
programme
and
are
available
for
talks
24/7
with
the
train
operating
companies.’

The
Rail
Delivery
Group
has
offered
the
RMT
a
backdated
pay
rise
of
5
per
cent,
followed
by
4
per
cent
this
year,
in
exchange
for
changes
to
working
practices.

Jacqueline
Starr
of
the
RDG
described
the
latest
offer
as
‘very
good’.
The
RMT
rejected
this
in
April,
but
she
said
it
remained
on
the
table.
She
added
that
the
RDG
was
‘very
open
to
continuing
conversations’.

The
RMT
is
also
set
to
stage
a
‘week
of
action’
on
the
London
Underground
from
23
to
28
July,
when
different
grades
and
sections
of
the
staff
will
strike.

Transport
for
London
says
Underground
services
will
finish
by
19.00
on
23
July,
with
a
‘good
service
expected
by
late
morning’
the
following
day.
But
no
services
are
expected
to
run
on
26
and
28
July,
and
only
a
few
trains
on
25
and
27
July.
There
will
be
early
morning
disruption
on
29
July,
with
services
returning
to
normal
by
midday.
TfL
warned
that
where
services
are
running,
‘they
will
be
extremely
busy
and
subject
to
delay’.

Meanwhile,
ASLEF
is
staging
a
series
of
overtime
bans,
and
the
latest
of
these
will
run
until
Saturday.
It
is
the
third
of
its
kind,
because
ASLEF
had
already
withdrawn
‘non-contractual’
overtime
from
15
to
20
May,
and
also
earlier
this
month
for
six
days
from
3
July.
A
fourth
has
been
planned
between
31
July
and
5
August.