TSSA festive period strikes round up

Between Christmas and New Year hundreds of TSSA members took highly effective strike action which crippled services at three train operating companies.  

The walkouts took place at CrossCountry, West Midlands Tains and Great Western Railway with members out in force on picket lines in our ongoing national dispute at a number of locations including Saltley, Worcester, Tyseley, London, and Oxford. 

Again demonstrating unshakable commitment to the fight over pay, job security and conditions members staged  24-hour stoppages at CrossCountry - from 9pm on Boxing Day with many services unable to run as a result. 

At West Midlands Trains, where walkouts took place from noon on Wednesday 28 December to noon on the 29 December, the company had been forced to into announcing that ‘West Midlands Railway and London Northwesern (sic) Railway services will not operate...’ 

Then at Great Western Railway, where a strike also took place from noon on Wednesday 28 December to noon the next day, the company had to resort to bringing in managers to run even a skeleton service.  

As TSSA Organising Director, Nadine Rae, said - “it’s never easy to take strike action but doing so over the festive period in this way simply shows just how determined our brilliant members are in this dispute.  

“The fact that the walkouts had a real impact at these train companies demonstrates not just their success but the industrial power of our union.” 

Looking ahead to 2023 Nadine added “we would much rather get around the negotiating table but it’s up to the government to allow employers a free hand to negotiate a deal which meets our aspirations and resolves this dispute.”