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Rail workers are set to strike in June following a breakdown in talks with Network Rail , as talks have entered a third day today.
On Thursday the union rejected a new pay offer, with a 1% rise this year, and a rise of about 1.4% next year, with no compulsory redundancies for the duration of the agreement, meaning that the strikes will go ahead as planned
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union are due to walk out for 24 hours from 5pm on 4 June and a further 48 hours from 5pm on 9 June.
The workers, including signallers and maintenance staff, are also planning to ban overtime from 6-12 June.
Network Rail originally offered a four-year deal of a single £500 payment followed by three years of rises in line with RPI inflation, at the beginning of the talks.
RMT’s 16,000 members at Network rail work across operations and maintenance departments.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin previously said : "Millions of hardworking people will be disrupted by this unnecessary and unreasonable strike action . I condemn it wholeheartedly and urge the union to reconsider."
"Over the past 4 years Network Rail staff have enjoyed pay rises 8 times higher than other public sector workers. By any measure RMT members already get a fair deal.
"It is very disappointing that RMT has now rejected a deal delivered through Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) talks that the union’s leadership agreed was a reasonable offer.
Show all 14 1 /14In pictures: Previous public sector protests against pay and working conditions In pictures: Previous public sector protests against pay and working conditions Brighton Public sector workers and members of the GMB union make their way through Brighton, as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts
In pictures: Previous public sector protests against pay and working conditions Brighton Public sector workers and members of the GMB union make their way through Brighton, as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts
In pictures: Previous public sector protests against pay and working conditions Brighton Public sector workers and members of the NUT union make their way through Brighton, as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts
In pictures: Previous public sector protests against pay and working conditions Newcastle Public sector workers march through Newcastle city centre as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts
In pictures: Previous public sector protests against pay and working conditions Newcastle Public sector workers march through Newcastle city centre as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts
In pictures: Previous public sector protests against pay and working conditions Newcastle Public sector workers march through Newcastle city centre as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts
In pictures: Previous public sector protests against pay and working conditions Newcastle Public sector workers march through Newcastle city centre as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts
In pictures: Previous public sector protests against pay and working conditions Newcastle Public sector worker Scott Clarke with six-year-old daughter Amber Clarke during a march through Newcastle city centre as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts
In pictures: Previous public sector protests against pay and working conditions London Public sector worker and member of Unison Yvonne Green stands outside the Houses of Parliament in central London during the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts
In pictures: Previous public sector protests against pay and working conditions London Public sector workers and members of Unison gather outside the Houses of Parliament in central London as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts
In pictures: Previous public sector protests against pay and working conditions London Unison General secretary Dave Prentis (centre) joins public sector workers and members of Unison as they gather outside the Houses of Parliament in central London during the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts
In pictures: Previous public sector protests against pay and working conditions London Striking Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) members stand outside the Houses of Parliament in central London
In pictures: Previous public sector protests against pay and working conditions London Schools across England and Wales were facing closures and disruption as teachers joined other public sector workers for a national strike. In total, more than a million people were taking part in the one-day walkout. The action has been hailed as the biggest strike over pay to hit the Government since it came to power in 2010
In pictures: Previous public sector protests against pay and working conditions Ryton, Gateshead Public sector workers outside Charles Thorpe Comprehensive school in Ryton, Gateshead, as they take part in the one-day walkout as part of bitter disputes over pay, pensions, jobs and spending cuts
"The government will do everything it can to help keep people and goods moving during the strike."
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