Chaos fears after vote for national rail strike

Even working to rule could mean disruption for passengers. Picture: PA

The threatened walkout among 16,000 Network Rail workers over pay also comes as the first major test for the new Conservative government, which is planning new measures to curb strikes.

The RMT has yet to announce any action, but the potential prospect of disruption alone is likely to prompt some passengers to reconsider travel plans.

Industry sources pointed out that even action short of a strike could be highly disruptive because of the difficulty of finding enough managers to cover staff on days off if there was a work to rule.

The RMT members involved include signallers and track maintenance staff.

There have been several previous RMT votes for a UK-wide strike in recent years, but these were averted before any walkout. The last nationwide stoppages were by the main train drivers’ union Aslef, under British Rail in 1995.

The RMT said 80 per cent of its members had voted to strike, and 92 per cent to take action short of a strike, in a 60 per cent turnout.

The dispute centres on a one-off £500 lump sum as part of the proposed four-year pay deal, which the union has rejected as “wholly inadequate”.

A spokesman said: “The RMT has rejected the latest pay proposals as falling well short of what is required to maintain the living standards, the job security and the working conditions for nearly 16,000 staff across Network Rail operations and maintenance. The mandate for action will now be considered by RMT’s executive.”

General secretary Mick Cash said: “This is a massive mandate for action and shows the anger of safety-critical staff across the rail network at attacks on their standards of living and their job security.”

Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne said industrial action would have “a massive impact on millions of passengers”.

He said: “It cannot be right that the unions can hold the country to ransom in this way.

“Our employees have received pay rises eight times higher than other public sector workers over the last four years and have now been offered a deal for the next four years that is unmatched elsewhere. ”

A spokesman for the new ScotRail/Network Rail alliance said: “We are developing detailed contingency plans for Scotland’s railway should a strike take place and will seek to run as many services as possible for our passengers.”

UK Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “I condemn any industrial action that disrupts the travelling public. I want to see Network Rail and the unions back round the negotiating table.”