Strike ballots at rail operator – Greater Anglia

Rail union TSSA has served notice to ballot members at Greater Anglia for strike action and action short of strike in a dispute over pay, conditions and job security.

The union is demanding a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies for 2022, no unagreed changes to terms and conditions, and a pay increase which reflects the rising cost of living.

Ballot opens: 29 June

Ballot closes: 13 July

Earliest date strike action could take place: 27 July

These ballot follows hot on the heels of similar announcements in Network Rail, Cross Country, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast, Northern, LNER, C2C, Great Western Railway (GWR) and Trans Pennine Express in an escalating dispute across the railway.

This is caused by the government’s determination to restrict the ability of employers to make offers on pay and job security.

Impact at Greater Anglia

Greater Anglia run train services between Cambridge, Norwich, Stanstead Airport and London Liverpool Street, taking in many services across Essex and the east of England.

TSSA members are found in a number of roles, including station staff and managers, conductors, driver managers, train crew managers and platform team leaders.

TSSA General Secretary, Manuel Cortes, said: “Our members at Greater Anglia are seeking basic fair treatment in the teeth of a crippling cost of living crisis.

“Rail workers were hailed as heroes in the pandemic and now they deserve a real terms pay rise which keeps pace with inflation, rather than shouldering the burden of the Tories’ economic meltdown.

“Our demands are simple – pay which reflects the times we live in, a deal which delivers job security, and no race to the bottom on terms and conditions.

“It’s time the government changed course. Instead of making cuts across our railway the DfT should either give Greater Anglia and other companies the signal to make us a reasonable offer, or Ministers should come to the negotiating table and speak to us directly.

“The alternative is a long-running summer of discontent across our rail network. Make no mistake, we are preparing for all options, including coordinated strike action which would bring trains to a halt.”