Eurostar travellers breathe sigh of relief as security guards call off weekend strike
Hundreds of travellers will breathe a sigh of relief after Eurostar’s security guards called off this weekend’s strikes.
Members of the union RMT contracted by facility manager Mitie were supposed to walk out on 16, 18, 22 and 23 December as part of an ongoing dispute over salaries.
But they have now suspended this week’s industrial action to vote on the company’s latest offer.
“The union suspended scheduled strikes this week to allow Mitie security members to take part in a referendum on the latest company offer which will be concluded on December 19,” said a RMT spokesperson.
The strikes planned for 22 and 23 December remain on the cards and are set to go on if the dispute is not resolved.
Despite being pleased by the union’s decision to call off this week’s walkout, Mitie said it had contingency plans on in case of strike next week.
“As always, our priority is to ensure that exceptional services are delivered so that passengers are able to continue their journeys with minimal disruption,” said a spokesperson.
“Should strike action go ahead next week, we have robust contingency measures in place and so we anticipate our services to be delivered as normal.”
The announcement comes as Britain continue to be impacted by the RMT’s ongoing rail strikes.
Network Rail has urged customers to travel only if “absolutely necessary” as only 20 per cent of all services are currently running.
The advice was echoed by Govia Thameslink, which called on travellers to “allow plenty of extra time” to complete their journeys.