A strike has been announced on the Eurostar cross-channel service for the weekends of August 12 to 15 and August 27 to 29. The decision was announced on Wednesday by the British transport workers union (RMT), which claims that working conditions are not acceptable.

A Eurostar spokesman said that passengers who had already booked on the affected days would still be able to travel, although there may be some small changes to their schedule. Passengers would be notified of any changes in advance, Eurostar said.

A union spokesman said that management was not respecting an agreement on working conditions made in 2008. “Our members have the right to a balance between their work and their private lives. Eurostar must come to the negotiating table with proposals that respect the previous agreement,” the union said.

About 80 union members are affected by the strike.