The biggest rail strikes in three decades are due to start on June 20 night, bar an unlikely late breakthrough in talks, with trains canceled across Great Britain for much of the week, Report informs referring to The Guardian.
Talks between senior rail industry figures and union leaders were taking place throughout the day to try to avoid industrial action, although with little optimism from either side or government that any agreement could be reached.
The first of three 24-hour walkouts by 40,000 Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) members, including signalers, maintenance and train staff, will start just after midnight on Tuesday morning, with only one in five trains running on strike days and halting services altogether in much of northern and south-west England, Wales and Scotland.
The strikes, over pay and attempts to reform the rail industry with post-Covid work patterns hitting commuter revenues, will cause six days of disruption, with trains limited to one an hour between 7.30 am and 6.30 pm on major intercity and urban routes. Services will start later and be reduced on subsequent days.
The walkouts are on June 21, 23 and 25 and a special timetable will be in operation from June 20. About 20% of trains will run on mainlines and urban areas.