A Cabinet minister has told Sky News he fears rail strikes will go ahead this week – and warned that workers must make sacrifices as the UK battles inflation.

Simon Clarke, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said that while the government was not the legal employer of union members due to walk out, they could not expect “inflation-busting pay increases”.

“I fear it is likely that they [the strikes] will go ahead,” said Mr Clarke. “Clearly we will continue to support the negotiations until such time is there’s no more time to discuss.

“But I think the public do this week need to be aware there will be very substantial disruption and it is therefore sensible to make preparations for that.”

The walk-out of 40,000 workers in the biggest rail strike for three decades threatens to bring travel chaos to commuter and choke roads with increased traffic.

Members of the RMT union are walking out in a dispute over pay, compulsory redundancies and safety concerns.

Reports suggest it could be just the start of what has been described as a summer of discontent, with teachers, nurses, doctors and postal workers also considering industrial action.

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