UK transport disruption set to continue as rail workers to stage fresh strikes

LONDON (Reuters) -British rail workers are set to stage a fresh round of strikes on Sept. 15 and 17 in a dispute over pay, jobs and conditions, the RMT union said on Thursday, joining other rail unions in signalling more disruption across Britain’s transport network.

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) said over 40,000 of its members from Network Rail and 14 train operating companies will walk out across the country “effectively shutting down the railway network.”

“Network Rail and the train operating companies have shown little interest this past few weeks in offering our members anything new in order for us to be able to come to a negotiated settlement,” RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said in a statement.

The union said in separate disputes, Hull Trains and Arriva Rail London will also strike for one day on the Sept. 15.

The RMT joins the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) and the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers (ASLEF), who both announced a fresh round of industrial action on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Farouq Suleiman, Editing by Paul Sandle and Alistair Smout)