HAMPSHIRE rail passengers face further disruption, as several unions coordinate more strikes.
Industrial action is being taken by thousands of railway workers in a long-running dispute over pay, job security and working conditions.
The unions are in dispute with the government and rail companies about pay and are calling for any pay offer to reflect the rising cost of living.
The railway workers’ union, ASLEF, has called for strikes from February 1-3 and its action will affect passengers across 15 rail companies, including CrossCountry, South Western Railway and Southern/Gatwick Express serving Hampshire.
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Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF, said: “It’s now clear to our members, and to the public, that this was never about reform or modernisation but an attempt to get hundreds of millions of pounds of productivity for a 20 per cent pay cut while taking away any hope of the union having any say in the future.
“Irreparable harm has been done to the integrity of the negotiating process and the future ability to negotiate an appropriate way forward, but we make ourselves available anyway.”
On the same days, members of the RMT union will also take strike action, affecting 14 rail companies, including CrossCountry Trains and South Western Railway serving Hampshire.
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