NEWS.CATEGORY: Industrial
TSSA Announce NEW Action Short Of Strike In GWR in November
**THIS COMMUNICATION SUPERSEDES THE GUIDANCE ISSUED TO MEMBERS on 20 October 2022 – refences made to “today” refer to 20 October 2022**
Given the lack of movement in negotiations within the Train Operating Companies. TSSA is announcing additional action short of strike for all our members in Great Western Railways (GWR).
Our reps met this week and decided to escalate our Action Short of Strike (ASOS) by adding an additional type of ASOS to the list than we have previously employed. We are announcing this today given the anti-trade union legislation that requires us to give 14 days’ notice of any industrial action.
We have therefore written to the company today to give notice that we are calling members to participate in:
- Ban on on-call activities including ban on covering vacant on-call lines
This will take place over the following times and dates:
From 00:01 on Thursday 3rd November 2022 to 23:59 on Thursday 3rd November 2022
From 00:01 on Saturday 5th November 2022 to 23:59 on Saturday 5th November 2022
During the period of dispute TSSA members can legitimately refuse to:
- Carry out on call duties whether their own or vacant colleagues during the times and dates above which coincide with the strike action planned by our sister unions.
If you are rostered for on call which covers any period of dispute (i.e. the dates and times set out above) but starts or ends outside that period, you should ensure that you carry out all your normal duties (i.e. you should do on-call activities and cover vacant on-call lines if asked to do so) during the parts of your on call which fall outside that period. Therefore, if your on call starts before the period of dispute and continues into the period of dispute, you must work as normal right up until the period of dispute starts. If your on call starts during the period of dispute and continues after the period of dispute has ended, you should contact your manager as soon as the period of dispute ends and inform them that you are ready and willing to work as normal’
This ASOS is in addition to the previous action short of strike that was called which is detailed in the table below:
Dates | Times(If multiple dates then start time applies to first date and end time applies to the last date) | Type of Industrial Action(Strike Action or Action Short of Strike – ASOS with a description of the type of ASOS) | Explanation of Action |
Now until Sunday 11th December 2022 (Including the 3rd 5th and 7th November when RMT has called Strike Action) | Now until 23:59 | ASOS - Ban on undertaking contingency duties arising from industrial action | TSSA members at GWR can legitimately refuse to carry out contingency duties such as Driving or Conducting Trains, covering Fleet grades work etc whilst those grades are taking strike action |
| Now until Sunday 11th December 2022 | Now until 23:59 | ASOS - Ban on out of hours work communication | TSSA members at GWR can legitimately refuse to Conduct out of hours work communications, such as phone calls, emails, texts, messages etc |
| Thursday 27th October until Sunday 11th December 2022 | 00:01 until 23:59 | ASOS - Ban on double desking (no carrying out work of absent colleagues and vacancies) | TSSA members at GWR can legitimately refuse to cover the work of absent colleagues and vacancies whether they are within the same role, different roles or previous roles that no longer exist. Some specific examples may include the following: - Manning two desks on the early or late roster only (not night rosters which are unaffected by this ASOS) if you are a Train Service Manager. - Manning a desk which is outside your roster if you are a Crew Delivery Manager or a Crew Delivery Manager Team Leader in Resources. - Not covering for ticket office or gateline staff if you work in revenue protection. - Copy and paste work on drivers’ diagrams. In every case, you must only refuse to undertake work that would ordinarily be done by a colleague who is absent or work that is not currently being done because there is a vacancy in the post into which that work would fall. If you have any doubt as to whether the work that you do falls within the scope of this ban on ASOS, please contact your local reps. |
| Thursday 3rd November 2022 | 00:01 until 23:59 | ASOS - Ban on on-call activities including ban on covering vacant on-call lines | TSSA members at GWR can legitimately refuse to carry out on call work from 00:01 on Thursday 3rd November until 23:59 that same day |
| Saturday 5th November 2022 | 00:01 until 23:59 | ASOS - Ban on on-call activities including ban on covering vacant on-call lines | TSSA members at GWR can legitimately refuse to carry out on call work from 00:01 on Saturday 5th November until 23:59 that same day |