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three big rail strikes, the largest in the UK in over 30 years, took place last week when the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport workers staged strikes over pay and working conditions. Industrial action canceled around last week four out of five trains runs through England, Scotland and Wales.
The RMT strike involves 40,000 signalmen, maintenance and train personnel from Network Rail – which is responsible for infrastructure such as tracks, stations and level crossings – and 13 train operators.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has accused union of ‘harming people’s lives’
Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT, has said his union will “continue to work constructively with the companies to negotiate a deal”.
READ MORE: Metro, train and bus strike timetable: everything you need to know
Lynch praised the strikers on the picket line last week and said the numbers emerging had exceeded expectations.
He said: “Our members will continue the campaign and have shown outstanding unity in seeking a solution to this dispute.
“RMT members are leading the way for all workers in this country who are tired of their wages and benefits being cut by a mixture of big corporate profits and government policies.
“Now is the time to stand up and fight for every railroad worker in this dispute that we will win.”
The government has maintained that the new conditions that railway workers must accept are vital to the modernization of the railways.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport said: “These are much-needed reforms that modernize rail and provide a sustainable foundation for passengers and taxpayers.
“Unions have shut down large parts of the rail network, hit local businesses and unfairly cut people off from hospitals, schools and work.
“However, early data shows that unlike in the past, many people now have the option to work from home, so we don’t even have to hit the road, because traffic has gone online instead, meaning the unions did not have the overall impact they had hoped for.”
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