GWR: Fail to Agree - GWR Stations Grades 7 Day Railway

Dear GWR Station Grade members,

                                                           Please find below the wording of a Fail to Agree letter sent today to GWR's Head of Stations James Adeyishan. The letter relates to the issue in relation to the lack of parity on Rest Day Work payments with other grades that then led to 7 Day Railway talks progressing. These talks have now broken down, hence the need to send this Letter.

"Dear James,

                           I’m writing to you following the lengthy negotiations on “7 Day railway” that have been taking place this year since you received a mandate from the Department of Transport (DFT) back in January 2025.

As you know TSSA’s original aspiration was to at least receive parity on Rest Day Working payments with those offered and paid to other Grades which we became aware of from June 2024.

Unfortunately, the mandate from the DFT wasn’t framed around our original aspirations but had a wider remit to bring Sundays within the working week and build a deal around that key concept.  These talks broke down in February after the company would not satisfactorily meet our demands. In April the company sought to restart the talks claiming that this represented a once in a generation opportunity.

Unfortunately, the key staff side aspirations from those talks that they believe would be needed in order to accept Sundays within the working week have not been met and it has felt as if we are negotiating with one hand tied behind our backs given the way that the mandate process works with the DFT. This has meant that we are unable to fully negotiate in a transparent and meaningful way by understanding what is truly on the table or potentially on offer for our members. As for example when negotiating payments, you weren’t in a position to provide us with a figure for what might be offered to our members. Therefore, even if the other details/non-monetary elements in the offer were acceptable, we wouldn’t have been in a position to endorse the deal to be sent to the DFT without clarity on the full ramifications of the potential deal we might be seen to “endorse” even if ultimately our members would have had an opportunity to vote on any proposals.

As you know the Joint Stations Divisional Council (JSDC) proposed raising the Sunday rate to double time as an alternative to contracted Sundays as we felt this would give both the DfT and the company the 7 day railway they are working towards. This was flatly refused by the GWR negotiators as it was not part of their mandate from the DfT to get contracted Sundays with no other options considered.

We sought the following concessions:

    1. Discussions to encompass all GWR stations staff grades, including those with Sundays already in their working week; 

    2. a one off payment to all GWR staff to buy out their current contracts;

    3. a reduction in the working week from 35 hours;

    4. a guaranteed 4 day working week;

    5. an increased Annual Leave entitlement;

    6. an increase to 100% pensionable pay;

    7. a maximum of 10 rostered Sundays a year;

    8. a permanent increase in RDWK and Sunday rates;

    9. a substantial increase in base salary;

    10. backdating of RDWK and Sunday payments at the higher rates to 4th November 2024.

Whilst the talks didn’t constitute a formal offer because of the complexities of the DFT mandate. The company refused to entertain items 1 to 5; offered only 91% for item 6 and were unwilling to meet our aspirations for items 8 and 9. They would not give us a figure that they considered ‘reasonable’ for an increase in base salary yet insisted our figure was unrealistic. For item 7 they were unwilling to move from a maximum 26 rostered Sundays a year unless there no choice for staff to opt in or unless new starters received a higher number of maximum rostered Sundays. This was unacceptable to JSDC.

With no guaranteed financial incentive on the table there was little in the offering that would enhance the members’ financial situation or improve their work-life balance. The company appear to only have placed a token value on our Sundays and as a Council, we were not prepared to continue with the negotiations until a detailed and realistic offer was made by GWR that would benefit our members.

Therefore, I have no choice but to register that TSSA is now in dispute and that I am today registering a Failure to Agree which I want to address at an Avoidance of Disputes meeting which I believe should be held with ourselves and our sister Union the RMT. I intend on sending a copy of this letter to TSSA Station Grade members so that they are kept in the loop on this situation.

Yours sincerely,

Alan Valentine

TSSA Organiser"