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Kemi Badenoch has claimed train commuters will “suffer” for Labour’s inflation-busting pay rises to unions.

The Tory leader’s comments came after train managers voted for five months of chaos, beginning on New Year’s Eve.

In August train drivers were given a hike of 14.25 per cent over three years, raising the average salary to £69,000.

But it sparked a backlash when the train drivers’ union Aslef announced fresh strikes just two days later.

Now the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, led by Mick Lynch, has announced action on West Coast Main Line trains on Dec 31, Jan 2 and every Sunday between Jan 12 and May 25, 2025.

The strikes come after workers rejected a deal designed to resolve a dispute over ‘rest day’ working.

The strikes are due to last until May nexct year (Luciana Guerra/PA) (PA Wire)

A spokesman for Ms Badenoch said: “It speaks volumes about the Labour Party policy of offering enormous pay rises to their trade union paymasters and getting nothing in return – and its commuters who are going to suffer.”

No 10 called on RMT to “get back round the table” to resolve the dispute.

But a spokesman for the prime minister added: “Passengers are right to be disappointed”.

The Avanti West Coast runs high-speed routes between London, the North- West and Scotland.

A spokesman said: “This strike action will cause significant disruption to our customers. We’re disappointed our train managers, who are RMT members, have voted to decline the very reasonable revised offer made to them to resolve the rest day working dispute and avoid inconveniencing our customers.”

An RMT spokesperson said: “Our members have resoundingly rejected Avanti‘s latest offers in two referendums and sustained strike action is now the only way to focus management’s minds on reaching a negotiated settlement with the union.”

Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch has hit out at Labour for getting nothing in return for pay rises to unions (PA Wire)

The RMT said up to 400 of its members are involved in the dispute. They voted by 83 per cent against a suggested deal.

Strikes that had been planned for December 22, 23 and 29 were suspended last week after a suggested agreement was put to a referendum of RMT members.

An Avanti West Coast spokesperson said: “This strike action will cause significant disruption to our customers making journeys on the West Coast Main Line over an extended period.

“We’re disappointed our train managers who are RMT members have voted to decline the very reasonable, revised offer made to them to resolve the rest day working dispute and avoid inconveniencing our customers.

“We remain open to working with the RMT to resolve the dispute.”

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