NEWS.CATEGORY: Industrial

West Midlands Train strike action: Saturday 1 October 2022

Close up of a strike ballot paper with an x in the yes box.

TSSA Reps at West Midlands Trains met today to agree next steps in our campaign to protect pay, jobs and terms and conditions, resolving that members are instructed not to commence work between

00:01 on Saturday 1 October 2022 to 23:59 on Saturday 1 October 2022.

Following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on September 8th 2022, TSSA withdrew all strike action planned for September as a mark of respect. However, TSSA remains committed to safeguarding your pay, jobs and terms and conditions and, after consulting workplace representatives, has decided to announce this strike date.

Because the anti-trade union laws require unions to give employers two weeks' warning before taking industrial action, TSSA gave WMT the required statutory notice to allow reps to decide to take action but held off calling reps' meetings to decide whether to go ahead or withdraw the notification or issuing communications during the official period of mourning. It is understood that WMT executives have already briefed staff that the action is going ahead, before your reps agreed that the action will take place and members will be called to undertake strike action.

All TSSA members employed by WMT who are due to start work between 00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday 1 October are instructed not to book on for work. This applies to rostered on-call and other duties.

Effective from 00:01 on Saturday 1 October and continuing until the end of the 6 month period which which is 6 January, all TSSA members employed by WMT are instructed to observe a ban on activities associated with voluntary contingency cover. 

 Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote in the ballots for industrial action. 

As promised in our previous circular, we are liaising closely with our brothers and sisters in other rail unions RMT and Aslef and are engaging with your TSSA West Midlands Trains reps about next steps and action throughout our campaign.

 Please speak to your TSSA reps for more information, and thank you again for taking part in this historic campaign to protect pay, jobs and conditions.

In Solidarity, 

Matt Barrow, TSSA Organiser

TSSA reps holding a TSSA logo flag

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