• More than 40,000 members of the RMT and TSSA unions went on strike for 24 hours.
• Strike action last month brought Britain’s train network to a halt for three days.
• Another union, ASLEF, representing train drivers, plans further strikes over pay and conditions.

Britain’s train network walked out again in a dispute over pay and conditions, the latest in a wave of industrial unrest as wages fail to keep pace with surging inflation.

More than 40,000 members of the RMT and TSSA unions went on strike for 24 hours, forcing almost half of Britain’s rail network to close, with train companies operating on a significantly restricted timetable and other sections of the nation having no rail service at all.

Network Rail advised travellers, including commuters, families on summer vacation, and sports fans on their way to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, which begin on Thursday, to travel only when absolutely necessary.

Because of changes in working patterns during the coronavirus pandemic, many office workers were able to work from home.

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Strike action last month brought Britain’s train network to a halt for three days, and just last week, some critical lines running the length of the country were forced to close due to track damage caused by high temperatures.

“Our members are more determined than ever to secure a decent pay rise, job security and good working conditions,” RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said in a statement.

“Network Rail have not made any improvement on their previous pay offer and the train companies have not offered us anything new.”

The RMT union said it had received a 4 percent raise offer, with a possible 4 percent increase the following year contingent on personnel agreeing on contract amendments.

Another union, ASLEF, representing train drivers, announced on Wednesday that its members at nine rail firms would strike over salary on Aug. 13, in addition to the strike planned for this Saturday.

Inflation in the United Kingdom is at a 40-year high and is forecast to approach double digits later this year, thanks to rising gasoline and food prices.

Soaring inflation and more than a decade of stagnating real wages have precipitated Britain’s biggest cost-of-living crisis since records began in the 1950s, aggravating labour conflicts in areas as diverse as postal services, health, education, airports, and the judiciary.

It’s a source of dispute in the battle to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister, with Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak threatening to tighten down on strikes.

Last week, the government made it simpler for employers to use temporary workers during strikes.

Today’s strike will hamper ferry services to Cowes on the Isle of Wight, and a new train strike is scheduled for Saturday.

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