Rail workers are set to walk out on Christmas Eve as part of a fresh strike in the long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will stage an extra strike on Network Rail from 6pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on December 27, the union announced on Monday.
The industrial action is on top of already planned strikes on December 13-14 and 16-17, which will go ahead
The union announced it will put the latest offer from Network Rail to its members, with a recommendation to reject.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said it was unfortunate that the union had been “compelled to take this action due to the continuing intransigence of the employers”.
He said: “We remain available for talks in order to resolve these issues but we will not bow to pressure from the employers and the Government to the detriment of our members.”
The Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) announced it was calling off strikes planned in Network Rail for December and is putting an offer to its members.
The TSSA had been due to strike on December 17 and take other forms of industrial action from December 13.
The TSSA said Network Rail had offered a minimum pay uplift of a consolidated £1,750 or a 5% increase (whichever is greater) to the annual base rates of pay effective from January 2022, and £250 to employees who earn £24,000 a year or less.
Pay will rise by 4% from January 2023.
Network Rail was also offering no compulsory redundancies for general grades and controllers until January 31 2025.
Staff and their families will also get a 75% discount on leisure travel and no unagreed changes to terms and conditions of employment will be made, the union said.
Tim Shoveller, Network Rail’s chief negotiator, said: “This response from the RMT to a significantly enhanced offer exposes their true priority – using the British public and Network Rail workers as pawns in a fight with the government.
“What use is a referendum that means that strike disruption is inevitable? At best it’s the tactic the RMT played in October by calling the strikes off at the last minute and causing immense disruption to passengers and vital freight routes.
“They are playing fast and loose with people’s Christmas plans and the new strike dates announced deliberately target vital engineering work designed to improve the railway.
“A significantly improved offer is now on the table that gives Network Rail workers job security, a decent pay rise and some other substantial benefits for employees and their families.”
Transport secretary Mark Harper said: “It’s incredibly disappointing that, despite a new and improved deal offering job security and a fair pay rise, the RMT is not only continuing with upcoming industrial action but has called more strikes over Christmas.
“It’s especially disappointing given the TSSA union has described this new and improved deal as the ‘best we can achieve through negotiation’ and called off strikes.
“The government has played its part by facilitating a fair and decent offer but, by instructing its members to reject it, the RMT has failed to play its part and our rail network now faces more harmful disruption rather than helpful discussion.”
Strikes on 14 train companies will go ahead next week although talks will be held with the Rail Delivery Group on Tuesday.
The government is braced for a wave of strike action over the winter as pay offers fail to keep pace with soaring inflation.