Members of the UK’s Rail Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) union headed to Lille, France, today to join a Europe-wide union protest against dangerous EU rules opening up rail traffic to competition.
Some 200 RMT members joined trade unionists from 14 countries protesting outside the European Railway Agency’s headquarters.
This move follows a meeting yesterday between the RMT and rail operator Network Rail to avert industrial action over a jobs cuts.
The meeting of the two parties, held at conciliation service Acas, discussed plans to cut 1,500 maintenance jobs and change working practices.
The RMT and Network Rail are expected to discuss a separate dispute over signal workers at a later date, according to the BBC.
A four-day national strike was called off following a legal challenge to the union's ballots by Network Rail.
The union said it will hold fresh ballots soon.
