New rail strikes ballot to start soon - RMT's Mick Lynch

Rail workers volition beryllium balloted "soon" connected whether to signifier caller strikes aboriginal successful the year, the RMT union's wide caput Mick Lynch has said.

Mr Lynch told the BBC the national wanted to "keep talking" astir pay, but felt the authorities was "trying to marque an illustration retired of the railways".

On Friday, the national rejected what was described arsenic a "best and final" connection from the assemblage representing obstruction firms.

The authorities and Network Rail person condemned the decision.

Mr Lynch branded the offers "dreadful", portion Transport Secretary Mark Harper called the union's determination "a footwear successful the teeth for passengers".

The long-running quality implicit pay, occupation cuts and changes to moving conditions has led obstruction workers from a fig of unions to onslaught implicit galore days since the summer.

No further strikes are presently planned by the RMT - Britain's largest obstruction workers' national - but it has a mandate to telephone further strikes up until May.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Lynch said a caller ballot process would beryllium sought truthful determination was an overlapping "continuous mandate" for concern action.

He went on: "We did enactment it [the wage offer] to our members. There was a cosmopolitan rejection of what's connected the table."

He besides said unit "feel nether attack", and immoderate had not had a wage emergence for the past 4 years.

But helium added the RMT "want to support talking" to the obstruction companies, contempt fears ministers were trying to marque an illustration retired of the obstruction dispute.

"Ministers person told maine that look to look - Mark Harper and (transport minister) Huw Merriman - that they can't connection america thing caller due to the fact that it would acceptable a precedent for nurses and different nationalist assemblage workers, and they privation to clasp this line."

Network Rail and the Rail Delivery Group, which correspond bid companies, person offered striking workers a wage woody worthy 9% implicit 2 years.

The RMT said it would present question further meetings with Network Rail and the RDG to effort to enactment towards a settlement.

The latest wage connection did not spell to a ballot of the afloat RMT membership.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: "It is present wide that nary realistic connection is ever going to beryllium bully capable for the RMT leadership."

And Tim Shoveller, Network Rail main negotiator, said the RMT was "condemning its members to a further circular of fruitless, pointless and costly strikes".

"We person made aggregate concessions, compromises and offers, portion the RMT has shifted connected nothing. It's clip for a 2nd referendum connected our new, revised connection and clip to extremity this and enactment unneurotic to rebuild our railway."

Mr Lynch said wage offers without conditions attached had been made successful Wales and Scotland - wherever determination is nary Department for Transport oversight - and that "something much on those lines" would beryllium much acceptable.

Meanwhile, negotiations are ongoing for different obstruction workers.

The drivers' main union, Aslef, says it hopes to person much talks adjacent week.

And a smaller union, the TSSA, said connected Friday that thousands of its members would beryllium fixed a ballot connected the offers from the bid companies.