(MENAFN) Following the failure of last-ditch talks between unions and rail operators here on Monday, the United Kingdom's (UK) National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) authorized the country's largest rail strikes in 30 years on Tuesday, which are expected to cause massive disruptions to rail services in England, Scotland, and Wales.
Only approximately 20% of passenger trains were planned to operate after workers went on strike at 12 a.m. on Tuesday. The walkouts will resume this week on Thursday and Saturday, affecting millions of travelers.
The strike involves over 40,000 RMT union members, including guards, restaurant staff, signalers, and railway maintenance employees.
The RMT is at odds with the train companies about salary, pensions, and job losses. People in the United Kingdom are grappling with growing living costs and seeing their wages eroded by inflation. In the United Kingdom, inflation reached 9% in April, and the Bank of England forecasted a rate higher than 10% by the end of the year.
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