By Andy Warnock Smith, retired RMT officer
The RMT union are to ballot over 40,000 railway workers across Network Rail and fifteen train operating companies (TOCs) with a view to co-ordinating strike action which has the potential to be the biggest rail strike in modern history.
Network Rail intends to get rid of 2,500 safety-critical track maintenance staff and introduce detrimental changes to terms, conditions and working practices for the remaining employees. This is due to implementing cuts of £2bn, which will lead to an unsafe railway and going back to the dark days of Railtrack.
At the same time, the Government have instructed the TOCs to make significant cuts with the intention of closing all station booking offices leading to job losses and attacks on working terms and conditions.
Railway workers were key workers during the pandemic and are expected to accept a pay freeze with inflation at 9% and a massive cost of living crisis.
Grant Shapps has launched the Great British Rail sale. Do not be fooled by this stunt – it is meant to detract from huge cuts to the network, where we already have the worst services and most expensive fares in Europe.
“The government is throwing political petrol on the fire regarding this dispute”, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said, “The changes they seek to impose on railway workers would not be acceptable to any trade union worth their salt and they represent a fundamental danger to passenger safety”.
RMT are currently mobilising the membership with mass meetings in the regions.
The ballot opens on 26th April and closes on 24th May.
A national rail strike could begin as early as June.
[Pictures from RMT website]
