Northern Industrial Action 1 October 2022

Our Union is once again forced to declare industrial action as we fight to defend jobs, protect terms and conditions and secure a pay rise that helps you cope with the ever-rising cost of living. Our colleagues in ASLEF and RMT are taking action on various dates from 1 October, so we have notified Northern of our intention to take continuous action short of a strike from the same date as follows:

 From 00:01 on Saturday 1 October 2022 until further notice - Members are instructed not to undertake contingency duties arising from industrial action 

This is one of five options open to us in respect of taking action short of a strike and is intended to demonstrate solidarity and protect members from being used to undermine the action of our sister unions. Your reps will keep the other four options (overtime ban, call-out ban, ban on non-rostered staff working weekends and nights, and a ban on out of hours work communication) under consideration with a view to implementing further action short of strike measures if necessary.

We need the new Prime Minister and her new Secretary of State for Transport to understand that Grant Shapps' plan to slash jobs and prevent fair pay increases for rail workers is deeply flawed. Government intervention is the primary cause of this dispute and Government intervention is required to resolve the situation. Ms Truss and Ms Trevelyan have the opportunity to get around the table with us and provide for a bright future for our railway and all of us that work to deliver services every day. 

Passenger numbers continue to rise and demand for services is increasing. Cutting back the railway is not the answer and certainly won’t help the UK economy or our climate emergency. An agreement is possible, but for now we must remain strong and united in our determination to ensure that meaningful talks do happen, and they do reach a conclusion that is fair for all.