UK rail workers vote strongly for strike over pay

LONDON (Reuters) - Rail workers across Britain could go on strike after staff voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action in a dispute over pay, the RMT union said on Tuesday. The union said 80 percent of employees working for Network Rail, the not-for-profit company which manages and maintains Britain rail track and stations, had backed strikes and 92 percent supported action short of a walk-out. The union said 62 percent of the 16,000 Network Rail workers had voted in the ballot. "Our members have today decisively rejected the pay package offered by Network Rail," RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said in a statement. "This is a massive mandate for action and shows the anger of safety-critical staff across the rail network at attacks on their standards of living and their job security." The union said it was opposed to a one-off non-consolidated payment of 500 pounds for staff this year and Network Rail's commitment to make no compulsory redundancies for the next two years only. Cash said the RMT was open for further talks before it decided on what action to take. The RMT is one of the most militant unions in Britain, and its industrial action in recent years has partly led to the new Conservative government promising laws to outlaw strikes which failed to have a 50 percent turnout and the backing of at least 40 percent of staff in essential public services. However, the RMT said its ballot, which attracted a turnout of 62 percent, would meet these proposed criteria. (Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Stephen Addison)