NEWS.CATEGORY: Industrial

GWR: Updated guidance on Action Short of Strike (ASOS)

Photo shows five TSSA members on picket line on a sunny day in Swindon, holding red 'Our Rail Our Future' Banner

I’m writing to amend and update our guidance in relation to our Action Short of Strike (ASOS) as a result of questions we have received from members.


This is in addition to the Strike Action announce where Members are instructed not to commence work on any shift starting between:


12:00 on Wednesday 28th December 2022 to 11:59 on Thursday 29th December 2022


ASOS

We previously wrote to our members and the company to give notice that we are calling members to participate in:

• Ban on undertaking contingency duties arising from industrial action

• Ban on out of hours work communication

• No double desking (no carrying out work of absent colleagues and vacancies)

This will take place over the following times and dates:

From 00:01 on Tuesday 13th December 2022 to 23:59 on Sunday 8th January 2023


During the period of dispute TSSA members can legitimately refuse to:

  • 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
  • TSSA members at GWR can legitimately refuse to Conduct out of hours work communications, such as phone calls, emails, texts, messages etc 
  • TSSA members at GWR can legitimately refuse to cover the work of colleagues who are absent due to ill-health and/or leave and vacancies whether they are within the same role, different roles or previous roles that no longer exist, whilst also carrying out at least some of their substantive duties.


An overview of this Action Short of Strike (ASOS) can be seen 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
Tuesday 13th December until Sunday 8th January 202300:01 until 23:59ASOS - Ban on undertaking contingency duties arising from industrial actionTSSA 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
Tuesday 13th December until Sunday 8th January 202300:01 until 23:59ASOS - Ban on out of hours work communicationTSSA members at GWR can legitimately refuse to Conduct out of hours work communications, such as phone calls, emails, texts, messages etc. If they are carrying out on call duties, then for the purposes of communications they are “in hours”.
Tuesday 13th December until Sunday 8th January 202300:01 until 23:59ASOS - 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, whilst also carrying out at least some of their substantive duties.

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 due to Ill- health and/or leave 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.