When do the Eurostar rail staff strikes start and how will they affect your August Bank Holiday weekend?
RMT and TSSA members will stage two simultaneous walkouts this month over a dispute about their work-life balance
EUROSTAR staff from two unions will be staging two simultaneous strike periods throughout August because of an ongoing dispute about their work-life balance.
The walkouts are likely to cause Bank Holiday travel chaos for thousands of Brits as last year alone, over 160,000 people used the Eurostar, which connects London St Pancras with Brussels and Paris, during the busy period.
Members of The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) are due to go on strike from 12 to 15 August and 27 to 29 of the Bank Holiday weekend.
While members of The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) have planned to walk out on the 14, 15, 28 and 29 of this month.
The planned strikes have already resulted in some Friday services being cancelled, "Friday - Unfortunately we've had to cancel services 9114 and 9133.
"If booked to travel on one of these trains you will have been contacted offering the option to exchange for another train on Friday 12th or to an alternative date."
The statement comes after a Eurostar spokesperson reassured passengers saying: "On the days of the strike we have made some small modifications to our timetable to ensure that all passengers booked to travel will be able to travel on those days."
RMT says the feud is still ongoing because Eurostar have failed to keep to their 2008 agreement, which promised better working conditions for rail workers.
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."
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The strike news comes shortly after RMT members announced there would be planned walk outs by Southern and Virgin Trains East Coast workers over safety and jobs.
Up to 300,000 Southern rail commuters face a week of cancellations, delays and overcrowded trains during a five-day walkout.
The union’s members called for “war” as the longest rail strike for 46 years kicked in.
Some parts of Surrey, Sussex and Kent have been left with no trains all week and other routes are shut after 6pm.