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| Britain faces year's 13th rail strike |
| LONDON -- Rail passengers across the north of England are facing disruption as train conductors stage their latest 24-hour strike.
The strike has been called by the Rail, Maritime And Transport Union, which is in dispute with Arriva Trains Northern over pay. A union spokesman has joked it gives World Cup fans a 'damn good excuse' not to go to work today. The spokesman for the RMT said: "The saga continues. We are trying to find the solution and talks are due to take place next week, which will be the first time we have got together for quite a while." Arriva runs services from Northumberland down the east coast, across through Manchester and to the west coast areas of Blackpool and Liverpool. The strike, which will be the 13th this year, centers around the union's bid to close the pay gap between guards and drivers. Arriva has maintained that its conductors are well paid, earning an average of ?20,000 for a 42-hour week, and that making comparisons with train drivers' pay was misleading. Arriva said they will be able to provide over 55% of services today, covering 75% of the network. A spokesman for Arriva Trains Northern said: "We are very disappointed that the RMT continues to reject our significantly increased offer and has instructed its members to inconvenience customers yet again with another 24-hour strike." |
| June 7, 2002 |
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