The Ticket Collector

RMT to ballot GNER members on 35 Hour Week.

Members of the RMT at GNER are to be balloted for Strike action over GNER’s failure to implement a 35 hour week. GNER previously agreed to introduce the 35 hour week.

RMT has notified GNER of its intention to ballot for action following the failure of the company to sign off implementation of the shorter working week for any member of staff, despite an agreement having been reached several years ago.

GNER is refusing to discuss this matter with the Union, Instead they are cynically trying to use the 35 hour week as cover for the staff cuts they are implmenting.

Said Bob Crow “GNER Travel centres in Edinburgh and at King’s Cross are both operating with 20 staff fewer than the agreed levels, and at Kings Cross there are several staff on long-term sick leave due to the resulting stress.”

“It is the same story with on-train teams, where the recruitment ban is having a major negative effect on the remaining staff members, and the failure to replace chefs is fuelling fears that GNER is preparing to cut its prestige restaurant cars altogether.”

“Everyone knows that Sea Containers is in deep financial crisis and is trying to sweat its assets and squeeze every last drop of cash out the franchise, but we have already warned GNER that we will not stand by and watch them make our members pay with their jobs.

“We are happy to negotiate implementation of the long-promised 35-hour week, and we are now due to meet the company at national level on December 6, but we have made it clear that we are now in dispute,” Bob Crow said.

GNER are really having problems (as if we didnt know that allready) and its good to see the Unions actually doing somthing for a change.