The Ticket Collector

RMT/TSSA London Underground Strike Dates

The RMT and TSSA unions have announced a 72 hour strike from 6.30pm Sunday 6 April, until 6.30pm Wednesday 9 April 2008 after voting by five to one and four to one respectively for action.

Widespread tube chaos is expected and many lines will be closed due to no staff.

Both unions have told LUL that its plans for ticket-office closures, de-staffing, lone working, introduction of ‘mobile supervisors’, use of agency and security staff and other disputed policies amount to an unacceptable attack on safety standards and the casualisation of safety-critical work.

Industrial Action - Just whats going on where. Updated

Owing to all the recent strike news and threats theticketcollector has attempted to get all the strike information from various sources. Updated March 27th 2008

National Railway Strike:
The RMT has threatened to hold a national ballot over plans for Notwork Rail to change its pension plans for the worst.

London Underground:
RMT and TSSA have told London Underground that ticket-office closures, de-staffing, lone working, introduction of ‘mobile supervisors’, use of agency and security staff and other disputed policies amount to ‘an unacceptable attack on safety standards and the casualisation of safety-critical work’.
RMT and TSSA have announced strike action.

National Rail Strike threatened by RMT over pensions.

BRITAIN’S BIGGEST rail union today warned that strike action was inevitable if Network Rail pressed ahead with the imposition of an inferior pension scheme.

Responding to the company’s unilateral announcement that it was to launch a new defined-benefit scheme, RMT general secretary Bob Crow said:

“We are not prepared to tolerate a worsening of pensions, not least after all the money that’s been extracted from the industry since privatisation.

“We have called for further industry-wide discussion, but what we have been given is an attempt to impose an inferior pension scheme without any discussion or agreement.

“This isn’t about widening choice, it’s about undermining the existing final-salary scheme and a cynical attempt to undermine the Railway Pensions Commission before anyone has had a chance to discuss its findings.

“I am in no doubt that if the company persists in imposing a worse pension scheme there will be a national rail strike.”

RMT press release

Lincoln signallers to strike in support of colleague.

MORE THAN 50 RMT signallers in the Lincoln area are to take two separate days of strike action after voting by more than four to one for action in support of a colleague treated unfairly by Network Rail, and to defend agreed procedures in dealing with displaced staff.Signallers and supervisors in the Lincoln area will not book on for shifts that begin between 00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday February 23, and again on Saturday March 1.

The union also today warned that it would ballot all signallers and supervisors in the ‘Great Northern’ area between Doncaster and King’s Cross if the dispute is not settled within seven days.

The ballot was sparked when the company effectively tore up a national agreement by making redundant a local operations manager, with 33 years’ experience, rather than offering him suitable options under the established procedure.

Peter Gregory was made redundant from his post, despite his seniority, in breach of what is known throughout the rail industry as the PTR&R - the Promotion, Transfer Redundancy and Resettlement arrangements.

“Network Rail has effectively torn up the existing agreement and tried to deal with our member under a process that has never been agreed, and his colleagues have rallied round to defend their workmate and their conditions,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.

“We have made clear to Network Rail time and again that the PTR&R remains in place for all grades unless and until negotiated otherwise. These arrangements were negotiated in order to provide an industry-wide career path and to give anyone displaced the opportunity to relocate.

“By ignoring PTR&R in one case Network Rail threatens to do it to everyone, and RMT has today made it clear that if the dispute is not settled within seven days we will ballot all signallers and signalling supervisors in the Great Northern area.

“We remain available for talk, but our members have demonstrated that they are prepared to act to defend their colleague and their conditions,” Bob Crow said.

RMT Press Release

First Great Western strike suspended

As predicted by this blog on sunday, the FGW strike has been suspended pending further talks with FGW managment.

FGW has agreed not to use managers to drive or work trains as guards.

Strike on First Great Western - Sunday January 20th 00:01 for 48hours

We are reciving reports that FGW managment have admitted they are wrong and are looking to meaningfull discussions. The Strike should be called off on Tuesday. Stay tuned for updates.

Press Release from RMT

MORE THAN 600 RMT guards and train drivers at First Great Western will strike for 48 hours from a minute after midnight on January 20 after voting overwhelmingly for action in disputes over breakdowns in industrial relations and the use of managers to guard and drive trains.

The RMT executive this afternoon also agreed to ballot the union’s more than 1,500 other members at the company over similar issues.

Bob Crow said “After considering reports from our people on the ground in First Great Western the RMT executive agreed that our guard and driver members will strike on Sunday January 20 and Monday January 21,” general secretary Bob Crow said this afternoon. First Great Western have angered our members across the company with heavy handed and confrontational management and by undermining our members’ jobs.
We have also therefore agreed to put in place a ballot of more than 1,500 RMT members in all other grades across the company and to urge them to vote for action over what has become a comprehensive breakdown in industrial relations.”

In separate ballots that closed today, drivers voted by 62 (81.6%) to 14 (18.4%) to strike, and by 67 (88.2%) to 9 (11.8%) for action short of strike, while guards voted by 229 (71.1%) to 93 (28.9%) to strike, and by 289 (89.5%) to 34 (10.5%) for action short of strike. The union’s executive will meet shortly to consider what action to call.

Strike update: Midland Mainline 1st November

Midland Mainline are still proceeding with the strike this Thursday. This meens that services again will be severly reduced and some stations will not recive any MML services.

The following trains are scheduled to be the only services to run.

Southbound

• 06:34 Derby to London St. Pancras, due 08:36
• 07:34 Derby to London St. Pancras, due 09:36
• 13:34 Derby to London St. Pancras, due 15:36
• 14:34 Derby to London St. Pancras, due 16:36
• 15:34 Derby to London St. Pancras, due 17:36

These services will call at Long Eaton, Loughborough, Leicester, Market Harborough, Kettering, Wellingborough, Bedford, Luton Airport Parkway and London St. Pancras.

Northbound

• 09:00 London St. Pancras to Derby, due 11:03
• 10:00 London St. Pancras to Derby, due 12:03
• 16:00 London St. Pancras to Derby, due 18:09
• 17:00 London St. Pancras to Derby, due 19:04
• 18:00 London St. Pancras to Derby, due 20:09

These services will call at Luton Airport Parkway, Bedford, Wellingborough, Kettering, Market Harborough, Leicester, Loughborough, Long Eaton and Derby.

No Midland Mainline services will be running to / from Leeds, Wakefield Westgate, Sheffield, Chesterfield, Nottingham, Beeston and Luton on Thursday 1^st November.Further industrial action is planned for 8 November. Details of the service disruption will be issued when available.