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Eurostar strike to hit weekend and bank holiday travel as workers walk out over 'work/life balance'

The RMT union said members have 'every right to have a fair work/life balance'

Lizzie Dearden
Wednesday 10 August 2016 07:32 BST
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Engineering work means Eurostar trains will be slower
Engineering work means Eurostar trains will be slower

British holidaymakers planning to use Eurostar over this weekend and over the August bank holiday are facing delays and cancellations as workers go on strike.

Eurostar rail workers are walking out for a total of seven days in a dispute over their "work/life balance".

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) will walk out from 0.01am on Friday until 11.59pm on Monday and for another three days over the bank holiday weekend starting on 27 August.

The union said the dispute centres on Eurostar's failure to honour an agreement from 2008 which sought to ensure that train managers could expect benefits to weigh out unsocial hours and duty rosters.

RMT members voted in favour of strike action, claiming that their work/life balance was being “repeatedly undermined”.

Mick Cash, the general secretary, said: “Our train manager members at Eurostar have a heavy commitment to shift work and unsocial hours and are sick and tired of the company's failure to honour agreements.

“Our members have every right to have a fair work/life balance that fulfils the operational needs of the company while guaranteeing quality time off for friends and family.

“It's now time for Eurostar to come to the negotiating table with a set of proposals that honours our agreements and guarantees our members a genuine work/life balance.”

Around 80 train managers are involved in the strike and it was unclear how heavily services would be impacted.

A spokesperson for Eurostar said it was still seeking a settlement to avoid the strike and had contingency plans in place.

"We are aware of the plans for strike action and our focus has been seeking a joint resolution whilst planning to provide a good service for our customers," a statement said.

"On the days of the strike we have made some small changes to our timetable to ensure that all passengers booked to travel will be able to on those days. Passengers affected will be notified in advance."

It is the third dispute to break out on the railways, with RMT members on Southern Railway on strike this week over the role of conductors and the union announcing a vote for action on Virgin Trains East Coast over jobs.

Additional reporting by PA

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