The strike by workers of Eurostar rail, which links Britain to continental Europe via the Channel Tunnel, is expected to cause huge disruption for holidaymakers.
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STRIKES by Southern Railway workers on Thursday and Friday have been called off to allow fresh talks in the bitter row over the role of conductors.
A spokesman for Eurostar said: “We are aware of the plans for strike action and our focus has been seeking a joint resolution whilst planning to provide a good service for our customers”. It will also walk out for three days over the UK Bank Holiday weekend from 27 August.
“We have it on good authority that the deal, which would have enabled us to suspend the Southern strike action this week, was sabotaged by the Government with their director of rail, Peter Wilkinson, directing operations from outside the talks”.
“We will update our website as further information becomes available”.
The TSSA rail union announced that its train manager members on Eurostar will strike on August 14 and 15 and for two days over the Bank Holiday weekend – Sunday August 28 and Monday August 29 – in the same dispute.
Virgin East Coast said the timetable for passengers would not change during any strike action and guaranteed no compulsory redundancies and no impact on safety.
Mick Cash, the general secretary of the RMT, told his members last night: “The National Executive Committee has had time to consider this matter and have acknowledged that some progress is being made”.
According to Cash, members of Eurostar’s union are determined to sit at the negotiation table until the company guarantees them a harmonious work-life cycle.
Staff are on the third day of a five day walkout, which started on Monday.
Although the company said that they are now “seeking a joint resolution”, they declined to comment on the details of the ongoing negotiations.
Despite the cancellation of strike action, the Campaign for Better Transport and the Association of British Commuters went ahead with their protest march from London’s Victoria station to the Department for Transport (DfT) on Wednesday evening.
“The ball is now in their court”.
Parent company Govia Thameslink (GTR) said on Tuesday it would talk with the RMT “any time, any place, anywhere” in a bid to end the strike.
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” This strike has to stop and has to stop now”.
