This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jun/01/rail-strike-unions-call-off-industrial-action

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Rail strike: unions call off industrial action Rail strike: unions call off industrial action after Acas talks
(35 minutes later)
The rail strikes planned for this Thursday and next week have been called off.The rail strikes planned for this Thursday and next week have been called off.
Unions have agreed to suspend the industrial action after talks at Acas with Network Rail, in an ongoing dispute over pay and job security at the track operator. Unions have agreed to suspend the industrial action after talks at Acas with Network Rail, in an ongoing dispute over pay, working practices and job security at the track operator.
A total of three days of strikes had been called by the RMT after they rejected a “derisory” pay offer from Network Rail. The RMT called a total of three days of strikes after the unions rejected a “derisory” pay offer from Network Rail.
That improved offer had already headed off another planned strike last month, which had threatened to cause chaos at the end of the bank holiday weekend and see 90% of trains cancelled – but unions eventually rejected the two-year deal. The new proposal would see more money – believed to be a 2% pay rise this year, and a further increase at the level of RPI inflation next year – in return for a review of working practices to cut costs on the railways.
Now the three unions – RMT, TSSA and Unite – will again consider a further, revised offer and the RMT, which has 16,000 members at Network Rail, has suspended its planned strike. Unions originally rejected a four-year deal and had called a strike last month, which had threatened to cause chaos at the end of the bank holiday weekend and see 90% of trains cancelled. Talks then resulted in an improved offer which saw that planned strike suspended – but unions eventually rejected the two-year deal.
An Acas spokesperson said: “After four days of intensive talks, Acas has helped Network Rail, RMT, TSSA and Unite formulate a set of revised proposals that the trades unions will now take away to consider. Now the three unions – RMT, TSSA and Unite – will once more consider a revised offer and the RMT, which has 16,000 members at Network Rail, has suspended its planned strike.
An Acas spokesperson said: “After four days of intensive talks, Acas has helped Network Rail, RMT, TSSA and Unite formulate a set of revised proposals that the trade unions will now take away to consider.
“Recognising this, the RMT has agreed to suspend the industrial action planned for this week and next.”“Recognising this, the RMT has agreed to suspend the industrial action planned for this week and next.”
The RMT general secretary, Mick Cash, said: “Following extensive Acas talks throughout the weekend RMT has now received a revised offer that enables us to suspend the planned industrial action while we consult in full on the details of the revised package with our Network Rail representatives.”
The TSSA rail union said it would be considering the revised offer at a representatives meeting on Thursday, and was likely to submit the deal to a referendum of its 3,000 members at Network Rail.
As well as creating massive disruption for passengers, the timing of the 72 hours of strikes across this week and next would have stopped rail freight deliveries for up to nine days, the Freight Transport Association had warned.
The standoff comes in the context of increasing pressure on Network Rail to cut costs. A 2011 review into value for money claimed that British railways were substantially more costly to run than European competitors, while increasing rail fares have become a hot political issue. Meanwhile, the track operator’s escalating debt came on the government books last September, putting its spending under greater scrutiny.
Network Rail’s chief executive, Mark Carne, said: “I am very pleased that the industrial action has been suspended. With Acas’s help, we have had very constructive talks with the unions over the weekend and I hope they will be able to agree this deal.”
The original four-year deal would have seen salaries frozen at inflation, with guarantees against redundancies until the end of 2016. The first revised offer offered a real-terms pay rise over two years, but was rejected by the RMT.