LONDON — Conductors at one of the country’s largest train operators said Thursday they will hold a series of mostly one-day strikes over the next six months, according to a wire service.
Union leaders said the walkouts were planned because Arriva Trains Northern had refused further negotiations in a long-running pay dispute.
Arriva serves a broad swathe of northern England, including the cities of Manchester and Liverpool, and the 11 planned strikes would repeatedly disrupt travel for thousands of commuters.
The 680 workers have already held a number of stoppages and rejected a 4 percent pay offer from the company as inadequate.
“Arriva has told the world that there is no more money and that there is no chance of a negotiated settlement, so we have no option but to intensify our strike action,” said Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport Union.
Ray Price, Arriva’s managing director, said the union’s demands were “totally unreasonable” and that the public supported the company.
Price said the standoff over pay had implications for the entire rail industry in Britain, under which several different firms own trains and parts of the rail infrastructure.
“Arriva Trains Northern is a subsidized business which relies on taxpayers’ money. This has to be taken into account when considering any pay deals, along with the impact on future investment in the rail industry and other public services generally,” he said.
“If Arriva Trains Northern gave in to unrealistic demands, the costs would be reflected in the new rail franchises and would mean there was less money to invest in the services that are needed for the north of England.”
The conductors plan to walk out on June 28, July 13, July 25, August 23-24, Sept. 21, Oct. 19, Nov. 9, Dec. 14, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
In a separate dispute over restructuring, union members working in station jobs at Arriva will strike for 48 hours from June 27.