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Rail passengers are going through additional disruption this weekend as members of the RMT union stroll out on strike.
Stoppages are happening throughout 14 corporations on Saturday following industrial action by Aslef prepare drivers on Friday.
Both unions have denied accusations the strikes are designed to coincide with the Eurovision Song Contest closing.
The authorities claims the RMT has turned down a “fair and reasonable” pay supply.
But Mick Lynch, secretary normal of the RMT, has denied this.
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents 14 prepare corporations, supplied rail employees a backdated pay rise of 5% for 2022.
A second yr’s pay rise was depending on reforms being negotiated.
Mr Lynch mentioned the RDG had “torpedoed” the talks geared toward ending the long-running dispute as a result of settlement would have prohibited additional industrial action.
Merseyrail mentioned it was unaffected by the newest strikes.
But other train companies have warned there will probably be “little or no services” throughout massive areas of the community and mentioned passengers must be ready for disruption on the times instantly after the strikes.
Rail customers ought to plan forward and examine providers earlier than journey, with fewer providers working there can be “wide variations”, the RDG mentioned.
“It is likely evening services on some lines will be affected on the days before each strike, so passengers should also check the last train times on the evenings before strike days and the mornings following strikes,” it added.
Meanwhile, prepare drivers with Aslef have rejected a two-year supply which might see members obtain a backdated pay rise of 4% for 2022 and a 4% improve this yr.
However, there was some decision between the rail business and the unions. A revised supply from Network Rail, which owns and operates the UK’s railway infrastructure, was accepted by RMT members on 20 March, ending that separate dispute.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper has referred to as on the RMT to permit its members to have a vote on the supply that the RDG has put ahead.
Mr Harper additionally mentioned the strikes have been “cynically targeting the Eurovision Song Contest”.
“The reason that’s so appalling is because that’s not our song contest. We’re hosting it for Ukraine,” he added.
However, National Express mentioned it had responded to the deliberate rail strikes by including 33 additional providers to Liverpool to “help fans get to Eurovision”.
“We’ve seen a huge demand for our services…with advance tickets selling out quickly,” station supervisor Andy Leonard mentioned.
After this weekend’s stoppages the rail community will undergo additional disruption when Aslef drivers strike once more on 31 May and 3 June, the day of the FA Cup closing.
