LONDON, May 24 Reuters Britain will prioritise the supply of food, goods and energy if railway workers vote to hold widespread strikes in the coming months, transport minister Grant Shapps said on Tuesday.

The strike, billed by the rail workers union as the potentially the biggest rail strike in modern history, has been proposed in protest at pay freezes and threats to jobs as part of spending cuts on the network.

Asked on the BBC about the government39;s plans to ensure food supplies didn39;t run out as a result of any disruption to freight services, Shapps said

We will have to prioritise freight and goods and energy supplies moving around.

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers RMT strike ballot closes on Tuesday. If the legal threshold for a strike is met, action could begin as early as June, the union said.

Reporting by Farouq Suleiman and Kylie MacLellan; editing by William James

Source Reuters