LONDON, June 18th. (DPA/EP) –

UK trade union leaders have announced the failure of negotiations to cancel the rail and tube strike which will continue next week to demand a complete overhaul of working conditions in the transport sector.

The secretary general of the Transport, Maritime and Railway (RMT) union, Mick Lynch, has acknowledged that “despite the efforts of the negotiators, a proper agreement to resolve the dispute has not come to fruition” and the strike at 13 rail operators will continue, as planned, on Tuesday, Thursday and next Saturday. The London Underground will be affected on Tuesday.

The protests stem from, according to Lynch, the UK Government’s decision to cut nearly 4,000 million euros from the transport system, half from national rail and half from the London Underground.

“As a result of the government-imposed austerity on transport, the company has made the decision to tear up the Railroad Pension Scheme and the London Transport Scheme, cutting benefits, making staff work longer hours, with poorer pensions, while paying higher contributions,” he said. confirm.

As a result, thousands of jobs on the rail network were destroyed and wage increases for workers did not reach inflation. “We can’t just sit still,” Lynch said, “to slack off on this.”

“So today (this Saturday), after hearing reports of the discussions that have been carried out,” he continued, “we ensure that the strike action scheduled for June 21, 23 and 25 will continue, because we want transportation. a system that operates for the benefit of people, for the needs of our society and environment, not for personal gain.

“We call on the entire labor and workers movement to unite in support of the RMT and our members in this struggle,” he concluded.