Greater than 40,000 railway employees will begin voting on Tuesday on whether or not to strike in disputes over jobs and pay.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union mentioned a sure vote amongst its members may result in the most important rail strike in trendy historical past.
The union mentioned Community Rail is planning to chop no less than 2,500 safety-critical upkeep jobs as a part of a £2 billion discount in spending, whereas employees at practice operators have been topic to pay freezes and adjustments to their phrases and situations.
The poll closes on Might 24, so strike motion may start in June.
RMT normal secretary Mick Lynch mentioned: “Our poll of 40,000 workers is a crucial step in defending jobs, pay, situations and security requirements on the railways.
“Community Rail, the practice working firms and the Authorities have set themselves on a collision course with RMT by their reckless cuts agenda and employees throughout the trade should vote ‘Sure’ on this upcoming poll to guard themselves in addition to guarantee secure journeys for the travelling public.
“Railway employees have needed to take care of pay freezes, the prospect of dropping their jobs and repeated assaults on their phrases and situations.
“Practice working firms have praised our members for being key employees throughout the pandemic however have refused to maintain workers pay in step with inflation and hovering dwelling prices.
“Consequently, hundreds of railway employees have seen their dwelling requirements plummet and have run out of endurance.”
The poll might be amongst RMT members on Community Rail and Chiltern Railways, Cross Nation Trains, Better Anglia, LNER, East Midlands Railway, c2c, Nice Western Railway, Northern Trains, South Japanese Railway, South Western Railway, Island Line, GTR (together with Gatwick Specific), Transpennine Specific, Avanti West Coast, and West Midlands Trains.
Tim Shoveller, Community Rail’s regional director, mentioned: “Our railway has been hit onerous by the Covid-19 pandemic, and whilst passenger numbers begin to get well, we all know journey habits and passenger demand have modified and the trade has to vary too.
“We can not hold counting on Authorities handouts, and so we should work along with practice operators and our trades unions to save lots of tens of millions of kilos and ship a extra environment friendly railway.
“Our modernisation programme goals to construct a sustainable future that delivers for passengers and creates higher and safer jobs for our individuals.
“We might not take into account any adjustments that will make the railway much less secure.”
A Rail Supply Group spokesman mentioned: “The pandemic was an unprecedented shock for the railway, with the bottom passenger numbers in over 150 years and file ranges of public funding to maintain it operating.
“Our entire focus now ought to be securing a thriving future for rail that adapts to new journey patterns and takes not more than its justifiable share from taxpayers, as an alternative of staging untimely industrial motion which might disrupt passengers’ lives and put the trade’s restoration in danger.
“For the sake of our individuals and everybody who depends on our railway every single day, we would like the RMT to work with us to convey how we run our providers updated in order that it's extra dependable, extra reasonably priced and conjures up extra passengers again on board.”
The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Affiliation has additionally warned of commercial motion over the identical points.
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