Sunday 19 June 2022 10:28 AM Striking rail staff want 7% pay rises and no extension to 35 hour week, RMT ... trends now
Rail workers who are set to bring misery to millions of Britons are demanding pay rises of at least seven per cent and the protection of their 35-hour working week, their trade union leader has revealed.
Mick Lynch, the general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union (RMT) today set out why his members are gearing up for the biggest rail strike in decades.
A walkout is planned for the 21st, 23rd and 25th of June with the action set to bring Britain's rail network to a standstill and cause widespread disruption.
Mr Lynch outlined how RMT members are pushing back against job cuts and changes to rail safety rules, as well as demanding pay increases and protections for their terms and conditions.
He did not rule out further rail strikes beyond this month's planned action.
But he denied rail workers were asking for 'special treatment' as millions of other Britons also feel the squeeze to their pay packets due to the cost-of-living crisis.
Mr Lynch claimed public sector workers were being 'robbed of wages' due to soaring inflation rates.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps accused the RMT leader of 'gunning' for strike action throughout negotiations and warned the 'completely unnecessary' walkout would be a 'huge mistake'.
He claimed the RMT were 'jeopardising the future of the railway itself' by pushing back against the railways being 'modernised'.
The Cabinet minister also dismissed union calls for the Government to step in to resolve the dispute as an '11th hour stunt'.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch claimed public sector workers were being 'robbed of wages' due to soaring inflation rates
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps accused the RMT leader of 'gunning' for strike action throughout negotiations
Mr Shapps warned next week's planned strike will bring chaos to students trying to do their GCSE and A-level exams, as well as impacting those trying to get to hospital for operations.
But, speaking to Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday show, Mr Lynch insisted the RMT did not 'want to be the cause of disruption in people's lives'.
He said: 'We want a settlement to this dispute. But we're facing a crisis for our members.
'We're faced with thousands of job cuts - despite what Grant Shapps says - there's no guarantee these redundancies won't be compulsory.
'We've seen four or five thousands jobs already go from the railway. They've told our maintenance staff on Network Rail that three thousand jobs will go.
'They're going to cut back on the safety regime, they've told us that every single booking
