National rail strike possibility grows after RMT union ballot
|
Version 0 of 1. A national rail strike has moved a step closer after RMT union members voted firmly in favour of industrial action in a pay dispute with Network Rail. On a 60% turnout of the 16,000 members eligible, 80% voted to strike and 92% voted for action short of a strike, the union announced. The RMT leadership indicated it would still be open to talks, despite failure to agree terms at the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas). Mick Cash, the RMT’s general secretary, said: “Our members have today decisively rejected the pay package offered by Network Rail. This is a massive mandate for action and shows the anger of safety-critical staff across the rail network at attacks on their standards of living and their job security. “It is now down to Network Rail to start taking this issue seriously, to understand the deep-seated grievance felt by their staff and to come forward with a renewed offer which protects pay and jobs.” RMT members had already overwhelmingly rejected a four-year pay offer from Network Rail. The offer included a one-off £500 bonus but no pay rise this year, with salaries then limited to retail-prices-index inflation until 2019. Network Rail has said that its pay offer should be considered in the context of recent pay rises it has given rail staff since 2011, exceeding the average awarded in other sectors where wages have declined in real terms. Related: RMT members to vote on strike action after rejecting Network Rail pay offer A commitment to no compulsory redundancies would be extended only until the end of 2016, and unions fear that signallers’ jobs could be in jeopardy after that. Although Network Rail has offered retraining and redeployment guarantees, Cash said he was “in no doubt that this leaves operations and maintenance members extremely vulnerable”. A second rail union, the TSSA, has also balloted its 3,000 members over a strike, with the result due on Friday. Any industrial action is likely to lead to widespread disruption on the railways. Mark Carne, the chief executive of Network Rail, said: “The railways are a vital public service, and industrial action would have a massive impact on millions of passengers as well as freight distribution across Britain. It cannot be right that the unions can hold the country to ransom in this way. “Fewer than half of RMT members at Network Rail have voted in favour of strike action, and we urge union leaders to come back to the table for further discussions.” The transport secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, said: “I condemn any industrial action that disrupts the travelling public. I want to see Network Rail and the unions back round the negotiating table, hammering out a deal. “Rail passengers will not thank the unions for inflicting this unnecessary disruption.” |