TSSA confirms strike action at Avanti West Coast

Rail union TSSA has confirmed that members in station grades at train operator Avanti West Coast will strike this Wednesday 27 July in an ongoing dispute over pay, job security and conditions. 

The action will cover the period from 00:01 to 23:59 on Wednesday. Members working in a variety of roles including ticket office and station staff will not attend work on Wednesday. 

TSSA is expected to have a strong picket presence at London Euston station between 07:00 and 10:00. TSSA members are also expected to picket at the following stations: Crewe, Stoke-On-Trent, Stafford, Birmingham International and Coventry.  

Commenting, TSSA General Secretary, Manuel Cortes said: “Our members in Avanti West Coast are facing a fourth year of a real terms pay cut while bills for essentials are spiralling. The Tory cost-of-living crisis is making working people poorer. This cannot go on. 

“Grant Shapps and the Department for Transport need to make a reasonable offer on pay and job security – either by coming to the table themselves or allowing employers to negotiate freely. The string pulling and blocking negotiations must stop. 

“We’re seeing unrest across our railways as thousands of workers experience real terms pay cuts as inflation skyrockets. This dispute is not going away. We will stand up with our members until we win the pay, conditions, and job security they rightly deserve.” 

TSSA has announced industrial action in 11 Train Operating Companies, including Avanti West Coast, for 18 and 20 August.

TSSA members in Avanti voted 86% in favour of taking strike action.

Avanti - the west coast mainline operator- was the first of 11 train companies plus Network Rail which were successfully balloted for industrial action by TSSA