Train Strikes Announced For March – What You Need To Know

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The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) announces four further days of strike action for this month. Fourteen train operators will strike on 16th, 18th, 30th of March and 1st of April.

The dispute is long-running as strike action has been disrupting train travel since last summer. Unions and rail bosses have been unable to reach an agreement with each other. The decision comes after the rejection of the most recent offer from Network Rail. The RMT says the previous offer doesn’t deliver on pay, job security or working conditions. The disruption will be nationwide and is coupled with a ban on overtime, which will impact maintenance work.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said its members are waiting for “a fresh mandate by the government to offer our members a new deal on pay, conditions and job security”. He adds that "the government can settle this dispute easily by unshackling the rail companies.”

According to him, "ministers cannot continue to sit on their hands hoping this dispute will go away as our members are fully prepared to fight tooth and nail for a negotiated settlement in the months ahead."

Members of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) union voted by 99% in favour of strike action after a failure to reach an agreement on working conditions and pensions.

Consequently, tube train drivers will strike for 24 hours on Wednesday, 15 March and most of the London Underground is expected to be at a standstill.

The strike coincides with the Spring Budget, where the Chancellor will give the government’s latest update on the economy and outlook for public finances.