Rail strikes: Britons face three more days of disruption from Thursday

theguardian.com:

Commuters and other travellers are facing further disruption over three days from Thursday on rail, tube and bus services, as tens of thousands of workers begin the latest round of strike action.

Network Rail, several train companies, London Underground and buses in the capital will be hit by industrial action due to long-running disputes over pay, jobs and conditions.

However, strikes by bus workers across Cheshire, Lancashire, Manchester and Merseyside will be suspended while GMB members vote on a new pay offer, the union and Arriva North West said on Wednesday.

On Thursday, members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail (NR), workers from 14 train operators, Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) union members at seven companies and Unite members at NR will strike. This will have a knock-on effect on rail services on Friday morning.

Also on Friday, members of the RMT and Unite working on the tube will strike, as well as Unite members on London United bus routes in the capital in a separate dispute over pay.

On Saturday rail workers will strike again, along with London United bus drivers, which will also affect Sunday morning train services.

The RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch, said his union’s members were more determined than ever to protect their pensions and secure a decent pay rise, job security and good working conditions.

“Network Rail have not made any improvement on their previous pay offer and the train operating companies have not offered us anything new,” he said. “Tube bosses are having secret negotiations with the government about cutting costs by slashing jobs and undermining working conditions and pensions.

“Network Rail is also threatening to impose compulsory redundancies and