Your time to take industrial action

**This is a copy of email communication sent out on 25 July 2022 to members involved in this dispute.**

Dear member,

I am asking you to take strike action on 18 and 20 August and/or action short of strike around the same period.

This is a momentous time for our industry and for our union. In 11 train operating companies, you have returned YES votes for taking strike action (Avanti West Coast station grades, c2c, East Midlands Railway, CrossCountry, Great Western Railway, LNER, and Southeastern) and action short of a strike (West Midlands Trains, Northern, Greater Anglia and TransPennine Express).

These ballot results have already produced movement and progress in talks with the employers. But it isn’t enough. Across the board we are yet to receive offers on pay and job security that we can put to you.

So today I have served notice for strike action and action short of strike in 11 train operating companies where we have those mandates from you.

Please note, we have not served notice for industrial action in Network Rail as our union is having eleventh hour negotiations with the employer for this group of our members. Our members in Network Rail General Grades 5-8 Controllers and Maintenance Engineers returned a YES vote for strike action, while our NR bands 1-4 management members voted YES to action short of strike. We still have time to serve notice for action in Network Rail on 18 and 20 August if these last ditch talks are unsuccessful.

I know that taking industrial action is always difficult and it is a tool of last resort, but I’m asking you to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with each other so we can force a better offer from employers. This dispute, like all others, will end with a negotiated settlement so I also urge the employers to put all of their endeavours towards achieving this as without this, we ain’t going away and our union will continue to fight for your interests tooth and nail whatever the bosses do!

Industrial action – strike action

For those of you who returned a YES vote for strike action, we are asking you to NOT GO TO WORK on Thursday 18 August and Saturday 20 August. (It does not matter whether you managed to return your ballot paper or how you personally voted – the result of the ballot gives you the legal right to break your contract of employment and to take part in any strike action called by our union).

Members involved in strike action:

• Avanti West Coast: station grades do not attend work between 00:01 and 23:59 on Thursday 18 August and between 00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday 20 August
• c2c: do not attend work between 00:01 and 23:59 on Thursday 18 August and between 00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday 20 August
• CrossCountry: do not attend work between 00:01 and 23:59 on Thursday 18 August and between 00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday 20 August
• East Midlands Railway: do not attend work between 00:01 and 23:59 on Thursday 18 August and between 00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday 20 August
• Great Western Railway: do not attend work between 00:01 and 23:59 on Thursday 18 August and between 00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday 20 August
• LNER: do not attend work between 00:01 and 23:59 on Thursday 18 August and between 00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday 20 August
• Southeastern: do not attend work between 00:01 and 23:59 on Thursday 18 August and between 00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday 20 August. In addition, we are asking you to ALSO take action short of strike from 18 August. Check the details of ASOS.

You have the right to join a picket line at your place of work and we encourage you to do so - express an interest in picketing here.

Industrial action – action short of strike

For those of you who returned a YES vote for action short of strike only (ie where we did not secure a mandate for strike action), we are asking you to take action short of strike. (It does not matter whether you managed to return your ballot paper or how you personally voted – the result of the ballot gives you the legal right to break your contract of employment and to take industrial action short of strike as notified by TSSA).

The specific types of industrial action short of strike (ASOS) vary slightly across different companies. Please check the details of action for your company. 

Members involved in industrial action short of a strike:

• Greater Anglia: From 00:01 on 18 August to 23:59 on 20 August
• Northern: From 16:00 on Wednesday 17 August 2022 to 08:00 on Monday 22 August 2022.
• Southeastern: From 00:01 on 18 August until further notice (continuous action).
• TransPennine Express: From 00:01 on Tuesday 9th August 2022 to 23:59 on Wednesday 7th September 2022.
• West Midlands Trains: From 00:01 on 18 August to 23:59 on 20 August

Types of ASOS for each company are specified here.

The one exception to serving notice for action is Network Rail where we have delayed submitting notice of industrial action to facilitate eleventh hour talks between TSSA and the company. Be in no doubt, we still have time to serve notice for Network Rail members to take action on 18 and 20 August if progress is not made.

This is the first rail-industry wide industrial action taken by our union in more than a generation, demonstrating the strength of feeling over pay and job security as the Tory cost-of-living crisis continues to bite.

You are going into your third or fourth year of a pay freeze. Inflation is at record levels and energy prices are set to rise further in the autumn. You worked through the pandemic to keep vital rail services running. You are facing unprecedented change across the rail industry without any guarantees of job security or terms and conditions.

This is what we are fighting to achieve for you:

• Pay rise
• Job security (no compulsory redundancies)
• No unilateral changes to your terms and conditions

This dispute is not going away. We are sending employers and the government the strongest message possible that you – and all rail workers – deserve a pay rise and job security.

Thank you for your continued support in this dispute. By standing together we will win this dispute and achieve the pay rise and job security you rightly deserve.

Please look out for further information about this industrial action. If you have any questions, please contact your TSSA reps. We have FAQs on our website and you can also contact our Helpdesk (see details below).

In solidarity,

Manuel Cortes

TSSA General Secretary