Strike threat to Britain's railways

Rail workers' unions are warning there will be strike ballots across the network this summer unless progress is made to protect employee pensions.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union and the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association have given employers 10 days to meet their demands. The unions claim many of the schemes for rail workers are in deficit. They are calling on rail employers to keep their pension schemes open and cap staff contributions.

The unions have warned that a strike this summer will bring the networks to a standstill.

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SOURCE: BBC

 

Deal averts rail workers strike

Strike action by more than 750 staff and guards employed by the train company Southeastern has been averted after a deal to end a row over jobs.

Members of the RMT union had voted in favour of action over staffing levels. It said the firm had agreed to revert to previous staff numbers and place extra guards at high-risk stations.

General secretary Bob Crow said he hoped the company would now accept that "cutting front-line safety-critical staff is counter-productive".

More than 400 platform workers voted by six to one for action over cuts in the number of station staff on duty. Some 350 guards also voted to strike over manning levels at Hastings, Ramsgate and Dover Priory stations.

Southeastern, which is owned by Govia, took over running trains in Kent, East Sussex and south-east London on 1 April.

The services had previously been run by government subsidiary South Eastern Trains after Connex lost the franchise in 2003.

SOURCE: BBC