Mick Lynch has clashed with a Sky News presenter during a fiery interview this morning.
Up to three in five train services have been cancelled on Thursday because of a fresh strike by rail workers as a wave of industrial action continues to spread across the country.
Teachers in England and university staff are also on strike in a continuation of a walkout on Wednesday, when they took part in one of the single biggest days of action in a decade.
Up to half a million teachers, lecturers, junior doctors, civil servants, London Underground drivers, BBC journalists and Amazon employees stopped work on Budget day.
Union officials at a rally in London, attended by tens of thousands of strikers and supporters, said the strike sent a strong message to the Government over its handling of the disputes.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Rail employers are not being given a fresh mandate by the Government to offer our members a new deal on pay, conditions and job security.
“Therefore, our members will now take sustained and targeted industrial action over the next few months.
“The Government can settle this dispute easily by unshackling the rail companies.
“However, its stubborn refusal to do so will now mean more strike action across the railway network and a very disruptive overtime ban.
“Ministers cannot continue to sit on their hands hoping this dispute will go away as our members are fully prepared to fight tooth and nail for a negotiated settlement in the months ahead.”
Speaking to Sky News, Lynch responded angrily to accusations railway staff are “striking their way out of a job”.
Watch the interview in full below:
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