RMT strike in England begins two days of rail disruption

theguardian.com:

More than 20,000 rail workers in England have begun a 24-hour strike that will cancel half of services on affected lines as part of a long-running dispute with train operators over jobs, pay and conditions.

The stoppage by the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) – the second of three by rail unions to hit the network this week – will affect most operators in England and some cross-border services into Scotland and Wales.

It comes before more than 12,000 members of Aslef, the train drivers’ union, who went on strike on Wednesday, take further industrial action on Saturday that will leave only 40% of services running.

The wave of rail disruption coincides with half-term holidays for most schools in England and Wales, and will cause difficulties for people travelling to events in London this weekend. Those affected include supporters travelling to see the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday between Manchester City and Manchester United, racegoers hoping to attend the Epsom Derby and tens of thousands of Beyoncé fans hoping to catch the pop star’s Renaissance tour shows in the capital.

Rail operators have said services on Friday and Saturday will be severely reduced and have urged passengers to plan their journey before travelling.

The long-running dispute between the operators and the government, and the RMT has shown no sign of abating after the union said it had received clarification in April that the operators’ offer of a 9% pay rise included a stipulation that strikes had to be halted while negotiations into the details of the deal progressed.

In an address to members on the RMT YouTube channel that month, the union’s general secretary, Mick Lynch, argued that a moratorium on strike action would