The RMT union, which has been a driving force behind rail strikes in the United Kingdom for many months, announced on Wednesday “suspending the strike scheduled for March 30 and April 1” as part of its negotiations with rail operators.
The suspension of the strike comes “following new discussions earlier in the day” between the union and the “railway liaison group”, which represents private operators in the sector, the union said in a statement.
Wage increase
The RMT union announced on Monday that it had accepted an offer to raise wages, but only for its members who work for Network Rail, the public manager of the rail network. The strike was originally to continue within the private operators.
The suspension of the movement announced Wednesday “marks a positive step and brings us closer to the resolution of this dispute”, welcomed in a press release the Ministry of Transport.
Repeated strikes
The United Kingdom has been rocked for months by repeated strikes in many sectors for better wages in the face of price increases that exceed 10%. Inflation rebounded in February, to 10.4% year on year.
The railway companies’ offer includes a 5% salary increase the first year and then 4% the following year, with larger increases for low salaries, as well as job guarantees, according to the government. At the end of February, the TSSA, another transport union, accepted a wage offer and withdrew from the strike movement in the sector.