Rail strikes: RMT announce plans for strike action

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General Secretary Mick Lynch said there would be a 24 hour walkout on July 27 after he rejected a “paltry” offer from Network Rail. The company had offered to increase pay for all RMT members by over five percent over two years and by more for this paid under £30,000, according to reports.

Mr Lynch said it was the Government’s fault that the public will be “inconvenienced by our strike”, arguing that “it is the Government’s shackling of Network Rail and the TOCs that means the rail network will be shut down for 24 hours”.

But Express.co.uk readers responded that the RMT should have accepted the offer and criticised the strike action.

Trailblaser wrote: “Paltry is better than nowt… ungrateful toerags.”

Trippy wrote: “They are selfish is what they are.

“There are still shelf stackers at Tesco on FAR less than these people earn, that worked through the pandemic you think didn’t impact the economy… You are just talking nonsense.”

Tinpotdictator added: “All this does is hikes ticket prices which leads to less people using the trains and thus more hikes.

“It’s a never ending cycle of greed, corruption and selfishness from these unions.”

Transport Secretary and Tory leadership candidate Grant Shapps agreed that the RMT was wrong to reject the offer.

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He wrote in a post on Twitter: “Yesterday, RMT was offered a pay deal worth up to eight percent over two year.

“Today their leadership rejected it without even putting it to their members and instead called another strike.

“RMT bosses aren’t interested in finding a solution, they just want to cause misery to the travelling public.”

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Following this, Express.co.uk reader Jonjonson insisted that there should be “no surrender to union bullying”.

They wrote: “We need a government willing to stand up for the taxpayers!

“If you don’t like your job then find another one!”

But some Twitter commenters responded to Mr Shapps insisting his characterisation of the deal presented to the RMT was unfair.

James Armstrong wrote: “Inflation is 9.1 percent and set to rise to at least 11 percent this year.

“Expecting workers to settle for pay cuts during a cost of living crisis, not just this year but next year too, is contemptible.

“Why would you be advertising the contempt you have for ordinary workers?”

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