Home » UK Business News • UK Employment news » West Midlands Trains and GWR announce more rail strikes after Christmas

West Midlands Trains and GWR announce more rail strikes after Christmas

By Nagasunder in UK Business News, posted December 15, 2022

A rail union has indicated that hundreds of employees at train operators Great Western Railway (GWR) and West Midlands Trains (WMT) will strike in the days after Christmas.

A 700-member walkout was announced by the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) in a long-running dispute over salary, employment, and working conditions.

The strikes at GWR and WMT will begin at noon on December 28 and last for 24 hours.

For WMT, the strike after Christmas replaces and cancels the strike that was originally scheduled for Saturday, December 17.

The TSSA is requesting a guarantee that there would be no forced layoffs, no unauthorised alterations to terms and conditions, and a salary raise that takes into account the rising cost of living.

Nadine Rae, TSSA organising director, said: “Our members at West Midlands Trains and Great Western Railway do not want to strike, especially during the Christmas holiday period, but they are sick and tired of being taken for granted. They deserve a pay rise to help manage the escalating cost of living, and they rightly demand job security.

"Train operators under the control of the Department for Transport need to face up to the fact that only serious offers which meet our aspirations will end this dispute. Rail workers are seeking basic fair treatment: not to be sacked from their jobs; a fair pay rise in the face of a cost-of-living crisis; and no race to the bottom on terms and conditions."

Ms. Rae said previous strike action by members had been "highly effective" and called on the government to "do the right thing". She added: "Yet more trains [will be] coming to a halt unless rail bosses and the government do the right thing for our members and our precious rail network which so many people rely on.”

The declaration comes after months of nationwide train strikes after several railway unions decided to take industrial action.

Thousands of employees will walk out in protest over the holiday season and into the new year.

This week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reaffirmed that his administration was unable to change its pay policy, meaning that union concessions would be the only option to put a stop to the broad strikes affecting the railway and other industries.

Need Career Advice? Get employment skills advice at all levels of your career

In comments to his cabinet, he said: “While the government will do all we can to minimise disruption, the only way we can stop it completely is by unions going back around the table and calling off these strikes.”

Source: Business Live

Follow us on YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook