NEWS.CATEGORY: Industrial
Grant Shapps blocking rail talks, says TSSA
Thousands of TSSA members took to picket lines again today (Saturday) in the first week of industrial action by the rail union. Union leaders and rail workers across the country have called on Grant Shapps to break the impasse in talks and even industry leaders have called for pay rises and talks as Southeastern Managing Director Steve White tweeted his views.
Ticket office and station staff, Controllers, and a wide range of operational and support staff walked out for a second day of strike action in the dispute over pay, conditions and job security, bringing rail services to a halt across the country.
Talks are set to continue next week with Network Rail. However, the 15 train operators (TOCS) under the control of the Department for Transport (DfT) are prevented by Grant Shapps from negotiating with trade unions and no talks are scheduled.
In a public comment yesterday, the managing director of train operator Southeastern, Steve White, said: "Our people deserve a pay rise and job security. Our industry exists to serve our customers and our communities. More talks are needed, then some more and then some more."
Manuel Cortes, TSSA General Secretary, said: “Our members have shown again today their determination to be heard and achieve a fair pay rise and job security.
"It's clearer than ever that Grant Shapps is the block to resolving this dispute. Industry leaders like Steve White are absolutely right - rail staff do deserve a pay rise and talks are needed to break the impasse.
“Grant Shapps has a cheek saying that unions are blocking a deal when he knows very well it’s him and his own department preventing train operators from negotiating. The insulting 2% offer to rail staff came with conditions and with no job security. No one is going to sign up to that, especially in the teeth of a cost-of-living crisis.
“Neither Grant Shapps nor anyone from the DfT has reached out to our union on this dispute. Our union stands ready to engage in meaningful talks to resolve this dispute. The DfT TOCs must table a revised offer in place of the deeply insulting one they have made so far. If they do, our union will engage at once in meaningful talks with the aim of reaching a negotiated settlement”
“Our members have again shown today their determination to achieve a just and fair settlement so one needs to be forthcoming for this dispute to be over”.
Tweet from Southeastern Managing Director Steve White:
Does any railway colleague or customer really want this to last for months? Time for a ceasefire. Our people deserve a pay rise and job security. Our industry exists to serve our customers and our communities. More talks are needed, then some more and then some more.
TSSA members are taking strike action at Avanti West Coast, c2c, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway, LNER and Southeastern today (20 August).
TSSA members are taking industrial action short of a strike at West Midlands Trains, Northern, Greater Anglia, and TransPennine Express on, and around this date.
- Avanti West Coast: station grades will not attend work between 00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday 20 August
- c2c: will not attend work between 00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday 20 August
- CrossCountry: will not attend work between 00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday 20 August
- East Midlands Railway: will not attend work between 00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday 20 August
- Great Western Railway: will not attend work between 00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday 20 August
- LNER: will not attend work between 00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday 20 August
- Southeastern: will not attend work between 00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday 20 August.
- Network Rail General Grades 5-8 and Controllers: do not commence work between: 02:01 on Saturday 20th August to 01:59 on Sunday 21st August.
