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Eurostar trains across English Channel face 7-day strike

Aug 10, 2016 | 6:29 AM

LONDON — Workers on Eurostar trains that operate across the English Channel are planning seven days of strikes over two weekends in August — a peak summer tourist time.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union says its members will stop work for four days starting Friday, Aug. 12. A second stoppage is planned for three days starting Aug. 27, which is the start of a bank holiday long weekend for the British.

It wasn’t immediately clear what impact the strike would have on Eurostar’s operations.

The strike comes amid a dispute over what the RMT union says is “the work/life balance of safety-critical train managers.”

The union claimed Wednesday that Eurostar has failed to honour a 2008 agreement to reduce the number of unsocial hours that the staff is required to work.

The Associated Press

©2016 The Canadian Press