Rail services will be crippled on Saturday despite a serious of planned strikes being called off. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) and Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) were due to stage walkouts in the coming few days in a long running dispute over jobs, pay and conditions.
The RMT said it had secured “unconditional” talks with Network Rail and the promise of a pay offer from the train operating companies. The union said the dispute remains “very much live” and it is continuing its re-ballot of members to secure a fresh mandate for action with the result due on 15 November.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “The threat of strike action and our strongly supported industrial campaign has made the rail employers see sense. We have always wanted to secure a negotiated settlement and that is what we will continue to push for in this next phase of intensive talks.
