Railway workers strike over pay

Thousands of rail maintenance workers have begun an 18-hour strike over pay and conditions.

The RMT union said 12,000 staff in England, Scotland and Wales had walked out and Network Rail's repair schedule had been disrupted.

A Network Rail spokesman said the strike was having absolutely no impact on passenger services.

The RMT claims bosses at Network Rail have "scuppered" negotiations on harmonisation of pay and conditions.

The walkout began at midday on Saturday but the Unite union, which is also involved in the dispute, is not striking.

A Network Rail spokesman said negotiations were "still ongoing" and the RMT had "gone out on a limb".

The RMT said 100% of its members walked out when a 30-hour strike over the same issue was called last month.

The two sides are in disagreement over the creation a single set of terms and conditions after rail maintenance work was taken back in-house from private companies four years ago.

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