Catherwood LibraryILR School

In the first shutdown of the United Kingdom rail network since 1994, rail maintenance and signaling workers have announced a four day strike starting on April 6. The strike was announced after talks broke down between the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, the Transport Salaried Staff's Association and Network Rail Ltd., which owns the tracks. The dispute between the parties revolves around cutting 1,300 maintenance positions and doing more maintenance work during the night, something that the unions say will be much more dangerous. The walkout will idle the rail system for eight hours a day, between 6:00am and 10:00 am, and between 6:00pm to 10:00pm. The unions say that they are open to talks, but only if the company will talk about safety issues. Network Rail Ltd. says that the railway is very safe and that the unions are stuck in the past. The strike is expected to affect 3.5 million people's travel plans