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Rail unions threaten major disruption over pensions and job cuts
Dick Murray, Transport Editor23 Feb 2009
THOUSANDS of rail workers are to be balloted over strike action in a new row about pensions.
Commuters are facing disruption on the Tube and railways after white collar union TSSA threatened a series of 24-hour strikes.
Union leaders have called a ballot of 7,000 Network Rail staff in a move that dramatically increases the threat of major disruption of the mainline rail network. About 4,000 train company employees are already voting on industrial action.
Members of the TSSA are set to overwhelmingly endorse the ballot, which closes on 23 March.
The union must then give seven days' notice of any industrial action with the first strikes - likely to be a series of 24-hour walkouts - expected to take place from the start of April.
Union members include station managers and supervisors without whom large parts of the national network - used by more than three million passengers a day - cannot operate for safety reasons.
Gerry Doherty, TSSA general secretary, said: "Network Rail is effectively trying to introduce a two-tier pension scheme. They are asking older staff who used to be with British Rail to pay more to ensure their present final salary scheme continues." He added: "But new recruits are banned from the scheme for five years and are then being offered inferior benefits to long serving staff. It is unfair and we will not accept it."
Mainline rail and Tube passengers now face months of uncertainty over disruption to services with the three biggest rail unions flexing their industrial muscle.
The RMT, largest of the unions, has ordered strike ballots over job losses at four London rail commuter operators: South West Trains, First Capital Connect (Thameslink), National Express East Anglia and London Overground.
Again, all four ballots are expected to back the strike call with walkouts threatened from the end of next month. The RMT and TSSA will combine any walkouts for maximum effect.
Both unions have also warned Tube chiefs of immediate strike ballots if any of their members face compulsory redundancy under plans to axe 1,000 jobs on the Underground and 2,500 moreat parent company Transport for London.
Tube bosses say they cannot give such a guarantee and peace talks are in disarray.
Bob Crow, the RMT leader, said: "There is no way that redundancies on this scale can be implemented without affecting the level of service."
Steve Grant, London district secretary of Aslef, the train drivers' union, has also warned of walkouts across the Tube network because of a "complete breakdown of industrial relations".
A spokesman for Network Rail today said that the company had contingency plans ready for any industrial action.
He said: "We will continue to talk to the TSSA to try to avert a strike.
"The contingency plans we have in place will mean that train services will not be affected if indeed a strike does go ahead."
Passenger Focus, the national watchdog, published a report last week which criticised London rail operators for pushing up fares to the maximum, making commuter tickets the most expensive in Europe.
Reader views (18)
Rail workers are entitled to strike if they wish! Commuters are extremely rude to the staff, but if the staff gave them some back, they'd be complained about stright away.
Is it any wonder rail staff go to their unions to take a stand for them and not their own companies?
- Paul, London, 29/03/2009 23:45
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I'm going to make a prediction here, I guarantee that at least some of the strikes will fall on these days:
28th March, 1st April, 6th June, 10th June, 12th August, 5th September, 9th September, 10th October, 14th October
Can anyone guess why? Those are all of the England football fixtures for 2009.
- Bob, Cheam, 24/02/2009 10:18
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Interesting comments regarding a Union doing what it is paid to do - look after the interests of it's members.
I think it is just jealousy and resentment which fuels some of the statements given above.
The rail industry is awash with money - there is no shortage.
The banks and the government continue to cream off the money from the captive commuter market.
Roll on April 1st - about time for a real revolt!
- Jim, London, UK, 24/02/2009 03:15
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Now that the warmer weather is coming and the holiday season is on the horizon we should expect strikes from the railway unions.
- Paul B, London, 23/02/2009 16:19
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Message to the RMT union and members,please have your strike and it will bring the day of driver-less trains a number of years closer,because i am sure that there is some one in the rail transport industry that is looking at your future by getting rid of the problem of expensive labour.
Can you not see that the travelling public is at breaking point and can no longer afford the costs involved,and are wondering how they are going to finance there pensions in the future.
- Dj, London England, 23/02/2009 15:53
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what makes this lot so special? This is happening to everyone, but we don't go on strike. If I can't get to work, my company makes me take it from annual leave, so thank you RMT - not really how I planned on taking my annual leave.
Stop disrupting the commuters - there's nothing we can do about it - deal with it properly with your bosses!
- Sue, London, 23/02/2009 15:22
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Who cares ?
LOL
- P I Staker, London, 23/02/2009 13:38
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Ah, bless! I've not had a pay rise for around 5 years (in fact we had a 10% pay cut at one stage) and my pension is in tatters. But I'll still be getting up that extra half an hour early to ensure these wasters don't stop me getting to work.
- Paul, London, 23/02/2009 13:01
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By circumstance rather than choice I am in a money purchase pension scheme. The predicted pension has now fallen to 7% of final salary beacsue of a) incompetence by a now taken over bank, b) plunge in share prices and c) massive drop in interst rates. Would the tax payers in the RMT like to bail me out. Was that a NO? Get real RMT!!!
- Michael, London, 23/02/2009 12:49
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Too many other people need and want jobs. If this lot can't get a grip on reality in these times then they should be fired in favour of those that would be grateful to have a job and who would work in order to keep it.
- Jl, London, 23/02/2009 12:08
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The unions are probably looking at the huge fare increases and are wondering why people need to be fired...
- Mark, st albans, 23/02/2009 12:07
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Most of the rest of us lost any chance of a final salary pension scheme years ago. The Union see this as a chance to flex their muscles, but all it will do is to make commuters' difficult lives more wretched. They can't win this one; they will alienate their customers and drive them off the railways. A strike will reduce fare income, leaving less money to pay decent wages.
- Derek Monnery, Chairman, Essex Rail Users Federation, Bradfield, Manningtree, Essex, 23/02/2009 11:54
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Support the unions, they are the only ones who can stop the staff cutbacks that make unstaffed stations so risky. The railway is an investment opportunity, not a public service these days.
If they can cut out staff at stations, and reduce on-train staff, they will. You passengers lose out if you don't support the unions. Sacrifice a few days of inconvenience during a strike in exchange for years of SAFETY.
- John, Wapping, 23/02/2009 11:53
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Wake up and smell the coffee, TSSA.
No one in the private sector gets a final salary pension scheme these days and therefore NO ONE in the public sector should!
- Liz, London, 23/02/2009 11:48
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RMT, wake up and smell the recession! It's not JUST YOU !!!
- Marianne, SW France, 23/02/2009 11:09
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The Unions will have to suck it up along with the rest of us, just like in the Blitz. Of course, they are so spoiled now that they are only thinking of themselves.
- Bernard, London, 23/02/2009 11:00
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The country and London is on it knees and the unions seem determined to kick it whilst it is down. All they will succeed in doing is driving a few more businesses to the wall.
- Kb, London, 23/02/2009 10:41
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I am sick and tired of the Unions. We all have it tough at the moment. However, they are making life more difficult for the rest of us. I have no choice but to either take the days off as annual leave or stay in London when there is a strike on. Its about time the Government and Network Rail stopped being held ransom to the Unions. I have no sympathy left for them.
- Jk, London, 23/02/2009 10:08
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