Eurostar workers to stage seven days of strike action

If you've booked a trip to France over the summer then you may need to replan your journey as Eurostar rail workers are to take seven days of strike action this month in a dispute over work/life balance.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union will walk out from 00.01am on Friday August 12 until 11.59pm on Monday August 15 and for three days over the Bank Holiday weekend from August 27.

It is the third dispute to break out on the railways, with RMT members on Southern Railway on strike this week over the role of conductors and the union announcing a vote for action on Virgin Trains East Coast over jobs.

The union said the dispute centres on Eurostar's failure to honour an agreement from 2008 which sought to ensure that train managers could expect a good work/life balance in terms of unsocial hours and duty rosters.

RMT members voted in favour of strike action, claiming that their work/life balance was being "repeatedly undermined".

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "Our train manager members at Eurostar have a heavy commitment to shift work and unsocial hours and are sick and tired of the company's failure to honour agreements.

"Our members have every right to have a fair work/life balance that fulfils the operational needs of the company while guaranteeing quality time off for friends and family.

"It's now time for Eurostar to come to the negotiating table with a set of proposals that honours our agreements and guarantees our members a genuine work/life balance."

Around 80 train managers are involved in the dispute.