Railway union workers industrial and strike action - 2022

[whole diary]

[Marlburian]

Surprised no-one has mentioned the Mick Lynch radio interview yesterday morning on Radio Four.

Many other reports are available, including the actual broadcast on The Spectator website.

There was a follow-up on this morning's "Today", with the presenter noting criticism of Lynch from most papers except the Guardian. And a couple of figures were given for what his union members are losing from being on strike.

[JayMac]

The current government often accuses the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) of having a left wing bias. Mick Grynch accuses them of having a right wing bias.

That, to me, shows the BBC is getting it right.

The Grynch also didn't come across well on Good Morning Britain yesterday. Attacking those asking the questions, or bleating about the type of question being asked is not a good look.

[stuving]

TSSA^» (Transport Salaried Staffs' Association - about) announced yesterday that their members at Network Rail had voted to accept the latest offer.

TSSA members at Network Rail have voted overwhelmingly to accept an offer from the company in the national rail dispute over pay, job security and conditions. 85% of members voted yes on a 70% turnout.

The offer is worth a minimum 9-11% consolidated pay increase over the next fortnight, in addition to other financial rewards, job security to 2025 and guarantees on terms and conditions.

The vast majority – 85% - of those who voted out of 2,500 union members in General Grades, Bands 5-8 (and equivalent), and Controllers - made the decision in a referendum which closed earlier today.

Accept: 85%   

Reject: 15%

Turnout: 70%

The deal includes -

*A no compulsory redundancy agreement until 31 January 2025.

*A minimum pay uplift of at least £1,750 or a 5 per cent increase (whichever is greater) backdated to 1 January 2022 (an increase of over 5 per cent for anyone earning less than £35,000). This is worth at least 7% to staff earning £25,000 or less.

*A 4 per cent pay increase from 1 January 2023

*No unagreed changes to terms and conditions, plus more benefits.

[Electric train]

TSSA^» (Transport Salaried Staffs' Association - about) announced yesterday that their members at Network Rail had voted to accept the latest offer.

TSSA members at Network Rail have voted overwhelmingly to accept an offer from the company in the national rail dispute over pay, job security and conditions. 85% of members voted yes on a 70% turnout.

The offer is worth a minimum 9-11% consolidated pay increase over the next fortnight, in addition to other financial rewards, job security to 2025 and guarantees on terms and conditions.

The vast majority – 85% - of those who voted out of 2,500 union members in General Grades, Bands 5-8 (and equivalent), and Controllers - made the decision in a referendum which closed earlier today.

Accept: 85%   

Reject: 15%

Turnout: 70%

The deal includes -

*A no compulsory redundancy agreement until 31 January 2025.

*A minimum pay uplift of at least £1,750 or a 5 per cent increase (whichever is greater) backdated to 1 January 2022 (an increase of over 5 per cent for anyone earning less than £35,000). This is worth at least 7% to staff earning £25,000 or less.

*A 4 per cent pay increase from 1 January 2023

*No unagreed changes to terms and conditions, plus more benefits.

That is 2 of the Unions that have accepted the offer, NR^» (Network Rail - home page) are now in the process of awarding this to the 2 "Bargaining Groups" these Unions cover Signallers, Control, Technical grades typically.

Whether they will cross RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) picket lines is another matter

[TaplowGreen]

As I understand it, this is part of the deal;

Revised rostering

39 weekends a year

Mandatory Xmas working

Must stay on for up to 2hrs extra when required

Cross discipline tasks mandated

.......others are probably better placed to add detail

[JayMac]

Whether they will cross RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) picket lines is another matter

Wouldn't that be deemed unballoted, or secondary, action and thus illegal?

[TaplowGreen]

Whether they will cross RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) picket lines is another matter

Wouldn't that be deemed unballoted, or secondary, action and thus illegal?

Good question - can you be obliged to cross a picket line at your place of work, even if it's not your Union that's on strike, and a different Union forming the picket?

I'm thinking back to the Miners strike, with lorry drivers, pit deputies etc, although with that example the intimidation was on different scale and I believe the law was changed as a result.

[Electric train]

As I understand it, this is part of the deal;

Revised rostering

39 weekends a year

Mandatory Xmas working

Must stay on for up to 2hrs extra when required

Cross discipline tasks mandated

.......others are probably better placed to add detail

That is the part that the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) members in maintenance have objections to.   

For the rolls covered by TSSA^» (Transport Salaried Staffs' Association - about) and Unite a lot of that happens already with the exception of the cross discipline activity which is actually aimed at maintenance; many of maintenance managers and engineers believe this will take several years to implement fully and its a bit of a Government myth that teams do not work collaboratively in maintenance and the idea of one van with all disciplines is Government hype, mixing items like Signalling Track Circuit Relays in with PW^▸ (Permanent Way) track fastenings would be an expensive mistake.   There is of course a need to modernise how maintenance is done, at the moment there is a bit of a sledge hammer to crack a walnut going on

[PhilWakely]

Whether they will cross RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) picket lines is another matter

Wouldn't that be deemed unballoted, or secondary, action and thus illegal?

Good question - can you be obliged to cross a picket line at your place of work, even if it's not your Union that's on strike, and a different Union forming the picket?

I'm thinking back to the Miners strike, with lorry drivers, pit deputies etc, although with that example the intimidation was on different scale and I believe the law was changed as a result.

If it is not your Union on strike, then you are obliged to cross the picket line if you are rostered for duty.

[grahame]

From The BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

Train drivers across 15 rail companies will stage a fresh strike on 5 January in a long-running row over pay, according to the Aslef union.

The walkout will go ahead between strikes already announced by the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) rail union, running between 3-4 and 6-7 January.
Aslef said that train drivers had voted overwhelmingly to take action.

"We don't want to go on strike but the companies have pushed us into this place," said Aslef boss Mick Whelan.

Yes, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) are one of the 15 listed rail companies ...

[ChrisB]

From the ASLEF^» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) press release

ASLEF, the train drivers’ union, has announced another one-day strike on Thursday 5 January after members at 15 train companies voted overwhelmingly for more walk-outs in a long-running dispute over pay.

The strike will bring services on affected lines to a halt and comes as more and more people in many different sectors of the economy are withdrawing their labour as employers refuse to help their employees during this cost of living crisis.

‘We don’t want to go on strike but the companies have pushed us into this place,’ said Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF, which represents 96% of the train drivers in England, Scotland, and Wales. ‘They have not offered our members at these companies a penny – and these are people who have not had an increase since April 2019.

‘That means they expect train drivers at these companies to take a real-terms pay cut – to work just as hard for considerably less – when inflation is running at north of 14%.’

Mick added: ‘The train companies say their hands have been tied by the government. While the government – which does not employ us – says it’s up to the companies to negotiate with us. We are always happy to negotiate – we never refuse to sit down at the table and talk – but these companies have offered us nothing. And that is unacceptable.’

ASLEF had to ballot members again as a mandate, under the law, is only valid for six months. And members voted overwhelmingly – again – to take strike action.

‘The resolve of our members is rock steady,’ said Mick. ‘A 93% “Yes” vote – up on the very high figure last time – on an average turnout of 85% shows that our members are in this for the long haul. It shows just how angry – and determined – we are.

‘We now have a new mandate for industrial action for the next six months. The way to stop this is for the companies to make a serious and sensible offer and for the government not to put a spoke in the wheels.

‘We don’t want to inconvenience passengers – our friends and families use the railway, too, and we believe in investing in rail for the future of our country – and drivers don’t want to lose a day’s pay. That’s why strikes are always a last resort. But the intransigent attitude of the train companies – with the government acting, with malice, in the shadows – has forced our hand.

‘Because these drivers – who were, don’t forget, the people who moved key workers and goods around the country during the pandemic – have not had a pay rise for nearly four years.

‘With inflation running at 14% the companies – and the government – are saying that they want us to take a real-terms pay cut. The companies need to come to the table with a proper proposal to help our members, their drivers, buy this year what they could buy last year. That is the way to prevent another strike and all the disruption that causes. The ball is now firmly in the train companies’ court. And we are calling on the government to help – and not hinder – the negotiating process.’

 
Notes to editors:

[1] The companies affected include Avanti West Coast; Chiltern Railways; CrossCountry; East Midlands Railway; Great Western Railway; Greater Anglia; GTR Great Northern Thameslink; London North Eastern Railway; Northern Trains; Southeastern; Southern/Gatwick Express; South Western Railway (depot drivers only); SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) Island Line; TransPennine Express; and West Midlands Trains.

[2] We have already called five one-day strikes this year – drivers withdrew their labour on Saturday 30 July; Saturday 13 August; Saturday 1 October, Wednesday 5 October; and Saturday 26 November.

[3] We have successfully negotiated pay deals with 12 train companies this year – DB^» (Deutsche Bahn - German State Railway - about) Cargo; Eurostar; Freightliner Heavy Haul; Freightliner Intermodal; GB^▸ (Great Britain) Railfreight; Grand Central; Merseyrail; MTR Elizabeth line; Nexus; PRE Metro Operations; ScotRail; and Transport for Wales – and are in dispute only with those companies which have failed to offer their drivers – our members – anything. Drivers who have not have an increase since 2019.

In addition, an offer from Arriva Rail London (London Overground) has been put to members with a recommendation to accept.

I assume midnight to midnight as no times specified....

[Electric train]

Whether they will cross RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) picket lines is another matter

Wouldn't that be deemed unballoted, or secondary, action and thus illegal?

Good question - can you be obliged to cross a picket line at your place of work, even if it's not your Union that's on strike, and a different Union forming the picket?

I'm thinking back to the Miners strike, with lorry drivers, pit deputies etc, although with that example the intimidation was on different scale and I believe the law was changed as a result.

If it is not your Union on strike, then you are obliged to cross the picket line if you are rostered for duty.

That's not strictly true.  People in the same work place as a strike can choose not to cross a picket line, however they will loose a that shift pay, be marked as absent, they must inform their line manager of their decision otherwise they will be marked as absent without leave which could lead to a disciplinary.

At the moment the dispute has not got to the stage where staff have been instructed to cross picket lines and I doubt it will get to that stage by the Railway employers unless they are threatened by Government the risk here is the current staff who are volunteering to do task out of their normal roll would cease to volunteer or just work to contract

[JayMac]

Why are train operators seemingly lying this week about staff availability? There are numerous reports of crew rooms full of staff, sat twiddling their thumbs. Meanwhile some TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) (looking at you SWR^» (South Western Railway - about)) are running up to 50% fewer trains and blaming staff shortages due to union overtime bans.

Are the TOCs having their strings pulled? Are the unions lying about staff availability?

Neither side is able to claim the moral high ground. Meanwhile - sod the travelling public. Selfish, the lot of 'em.

[ChrisB]

I suspect it's rooms full of ASLEF^» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) staff during RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) strike days and vice-versa....

[JayMac]

I suspect it's rooms full of ASLEF^» (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - about) staff during RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) strike days and vice-versa....

Neither are on walk-outs this week. Overtime bans at worst.

So SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) are apparently saying they can only run 47% of their scheduled weekday services without overtime. And staff are saying crew rooms are full of staff doing nothing other than clocking in for their contracted hours.

Someone is lying.