Millions of rail users face ‘indefinite’ chaos unless unions get pay deal they want

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August 18, 2022, London, England, United Kingdom: (L-R) Labour MP JEREMY CORBYN, Labour MP for Coventry South ZARAH SULTANA, and RMT general secretary MICK LYNCH join the picket line outside Euston Station as rail strikes hit the UK. Rail workers and union members staged further walkouts over pay., Credit:Vuk Valcic / Avalon

MILLIONS of rail users face “indefinite” chaos unless unions get the pay deal they want, it was claimed last night.

RMT boss Mick Lynch said the country could be brought to a standstill by synchronised walk-outs.

Militant union boss Mick Lynch has threatened Brits with ‘indefinite’ rail strikes

Militant Lynch — speaking on a day only one in five services ran for train-reliant travellers — was accused of holding the nation to ransom.

His union has rejected a Network Rail offer of eight per cent on pay over two years, discounted travel, a bonus and no compulsory redundancies.

Yesterday, he blamed Transport Secretary Grant Shapps for the stalemate.

He claimed train firms had “no incentive” to settle as they were bailed out with taxpayer cash.

He said: “It means the dispute will be prolonged indefinitely as the train companies don’t lose a penny.”

He predicted a synchronised “wave of solidarity action” in every section of the economy.

Labour remained split over the strike, with Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson insisting its MPs will not “sort out” the dispute by standing on picket lines.

Several did so, however.

Cabinet Minister James Cleverly accused the rail unions of “holding the country hostage”.

Tomorrow sees another nationwide strike.

London’s Tube workers are out today.

The Department for Transport said: “All these strikes are doing is hurting those people the unions claim to represent.

“Many of them will again be out of pocket and forced to miss a day’s work.

“We urge union bosses to do the right thing by their members and let them have their say on Network Rail’s very fair deal, which will deliver the reforms our rail system urgently needs.”

Lynch claimed train firms had ‘no incentive’ to settle as they were bailed out with taxpayer cash