Workers on London's Elizabeth Line will strike on January 12 in a dispute over pay and pensions, Prospect and the TSSA rail union has announced.

The walkouts by staff at Rail for London (Infrastructure) Limited, which runs the Elizabeth Line, will be followed by more than a month of 'work-to-rule' action, in which staff will work contracted hours and shifts only.

Officials said the action will cause 'significant disruption' to the new cross-London line in the first strike since it began to open in May this year.

The announcement comes just weeks after the cross-London line fully opened.

Members of the union will strike in an ongoing dispute over pay and proposed changes to pensions after a ballot with 80 percent turn out saw 90 percent of workers vote to strike.

The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association said staff on parts of the line who are contractors have been offered an 8.2 percent pay rise, while those employed directly have been offered just four percent.

The union rejected an offer of a four percent rise this year and a 4.4 percent rise next year.

TSSA Organiser Mel Taylor said: 'Our members have sent the company a very clear message that they are not prepared to be pushed around on pay and pensions.

'The result of our ballot shows the strength of feeling and that is why we will be moving very quickly to take strike action and action short of a strike in the new year.

'Frankly, we have been left with little option because we know workers at Rail for London Infrastructure (RfLI) are being paid significantly less than equivalent colleagues across the TfL network.

'That is simply not good enough. Our members have the power to bring the Elizabeth Line to a standstill and the company must now wake up to that fact and get back round the table.

'We are always open to talks, but only if there's a much-improved deal in the offing, one which puts our members on a par with those in the outsourced parts of the Elizabeth Line.'

Mike Clancy, general secretary of Prospect, said: 'Our members have worked incredibly hard to get the Elizabeth Line ready to go safely into operation yet are being treated significantly worse than equivalent workers on the rest of London's network.

'They have been left with no option but to take this action.

'We remain open to negotiation and it is our hope that RfLI will come back to the table with an offer sufficient to avert industrial action.

'The Elizabeth Line is bringing in substantial revenue so there is no reason why there can't be some movement on pay.'

With 20 serviceable units, 10 trains running each of 2 units is an option, and as I read it that is the normal train length.

Neither are on walk-outs this week. Overtime bans at worst.

So SWR are apparently saying they can only run 47% of their scheduled weekday services without overtime. And staff are saying crew rooms are full of staff doing nothing other than clocking in for their contracted hours.

Someone is lying.

Chiltern having same problems - only enough stock in their case to run 4 tph in each direction, about 10 trains-worth (or 20 units) available each day.

Of course, SWT have electric 4car/5car units & more maintenance depot capacity than Chiltern. But that may still be a limiting factor for them

I suspect it's rooms full of ASLEF staff during RMT strike days and vice-versa....

If it is not your Union on strike, then you are obliged to cross the picket line if you are rostered for duty.

ASLEF, the train drivers’ union, has announced another one-day strike on Thursday 5 January after members at 15 train companies voted overwhelmingly for more walk-outs in a long-running dispute over pay.

The strike will bring services on affected lines to a halt and comes as more and more people in many different sectors of the economy are withdrawing their labour as employers refuse to help their employees during this cost of living crisis.

‘We don’t want to go on strike but the companies have pushed us into this place,’ said Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF, which represents 96% of the train drivers in England, Scotland, and Wales. ‘They have not offered our members at these companies a penny – and these are people who have not had an increase since April 2019.

‘That means they expect train drivers at these companies to take a real-terms pay cut – to work just as hard for considerably less – when inflation is running at north of 14%.’

Mick added: ‘The train companies say their hands have been tied by the government. While the government – which does not employ us – says it’s up to the companies to negotiate with us. We are always happy to negotiate – we never refuse to sit down at the table and talk – but these companies have offered us nothing. And that is unacceptable.’

ASLEF had to ballot members again as a mandate, under the law, is only valid for six months. And members voted overwhelmingly – again – to take strike action.

‘The resolve of our members is rock steady,’ said Mick. ‘A 93% “Yes” vote – up on the very high figure last time – on an average turnout of 85% shows that our members are in this for the long haul. It shows just how angry – and determined – we are.

‘We now have a new mandate for industrial action for the next six months. The way to stop this is for the companies to make a serious and sensible offer and for the government not to put a spoke in the wheels.

‘We don’t want to inconvenience passengers – our friends and families use the railway, too, and we believe in investing in rail for the future of our country – and drivers don’t want to lose a day’s pay. That’s why strikes are always a last resort. But the intransigent attitude of the train companies – with the government acting, with malice, in the shadows – has forced our hand.

‘Because these drivers – who were, don’t forget, the people who moved key workers and goods around the country during the pandemic – have not had a pay rise for nearly four years.

‘With inflation running at 14% the companies – and the government – are saying that they want us to take a real-terms pay cut. The companies need to come to the table with a proper proposal to help our members, their drivers, buy this year what they could buy last year. That is the way to prevent another strike and all the disruption that causes. The ball is now firmly in the train companies’ court. And we are calling on the government to help – and not hinder – the negotiating process.’

 
Notes to editors:

[1] The companies affected include Avanti West Coast; Chiltern Railways; CrossCountry; East Midlands Railway; Great Western Railway; Greater Anglia; GTR Great Northern Thameslink; London North Eastern Railway; Northern Trains; Southeastern; Southern/Gatwick Express; South Western Railway (depot drivers only); SWR Island Line; TransPennine Express; and West Midlands Trains.

[2] We have already called five one-day strikes this year – drivers withdrew their labour on Saturday 30 July; Saturday 13 August; Saturday 1 October, Wednesday 5 October; and Saturday 26 November.

[3] We have successfully negotiated pay deals with 12 train companies this year – DB Cargo; Eurostar; Freightliner Heavy Haul; Freightliner Intermodal; GB Railfreight; Grand Central; Merseyrail; MTR Elizabeth line; Nexus; PRE Metro Operations; ScotRail; and Transport for Wales – and are in dispute only with those companies which have failed to offer their drivers – our members – anything. Drivers who have not have an increase since 2019.

In addition, an offer from Arriva Rail London (London Overground) has been put to members with a recommendation to accept.

Train drivers across 15 rail companies will stage a fresh strike on 5 January in a long-running row over pay, according to the Aslef union.

The walkout will go ahead between strikes already announced by the RMT rail union, running between 3-4 and 6-7 January.
Aslef said that train drivers had voted overwhelmingly to take action.

"We don't want to go on strike but the companies have pushed us into this place," said Aslef boss Mick Whelan.

Good question - can you be obliged to cross a picket line at your place of work, even if it's not your Union that's on strike, and a different Union forming the picket?

I'm thinking back to the Miners strike, with lorry drivers, pit deputies etc, although with that example the intimidation was on different scale and I believe the law was changed as a result.

As I understand it, this is part of the deal;

Revised rostering

39 weekends a year

Mandatory Xmas working

Must stay on for up to 2hrs extra when required

Cross discipline tasks mandated

.......others are probably better placed to add detail

Wouldn't that be deemed unballoted, or secondary, action and thus illegal?

Whether they will cross RMT picket lines is another matter

TSSA announced yesterday that their members at Network Rail had voted to accept the latest offer.

TSSA members at Network Rail have voted overwhelmingly to accept an offer from the company in the national rail dispute over pay, job security and conditions. 85% of members voted yes on a 70% turnout.

The offer is worth a minimum 9-11% consolidated pay increase over the next fortnight, in addition to other financial rewards, job security to 2025 and guarantees on terms and conditions.

The vast majority – 85% - of those who voted out of 2,500 union members in General Grades, Bands 5-8 (and equivalent), and Controllers - made the decision in a referendum which closed earlier today.

Accept: 85%   

Reject: 15%

Turnout: 70%

The deal includes -

*A no compulsory redundancy agreement until 31 January 2025.

*A minimum pay uplift of at least £1,750 or a 5 per cent increase (whichever is greater) backdated to 1 January 2022 (an increase of over 5 per cent for anyone earning less than £35,000). This is worth at least 7% to staff earning £25,000 or less.

*A 4 per cent pay increase from 1 January 2023

*No unagreed changes to terms and conditions, plus more benefits.

Members will be instructed not to commence work on any shift starting between:

12:00 on Wednesday 28th December 2022 to 11:59 on Thursday 29th December 2022

What if I'm due to start work before 12:00 (noon) on Wednesday 28th December? If you are due to commence work on Wednesday 28th December before noon then you should start and finish that period of work/shift, however if your work/shift commences at anytime within the period of strike action (between 12:00 noon 28 December and 11:59 Thursday 29th December) then none of that work/shift should be carried out even if it is due to end after 11:59 on Thursday 29th December.

This is in addition to the Action Short of Strike that has previously been called and is currently active running until 23:59 on Sunday 8th January 2023

The TSSA Union has announced that strike action, affecting CrossCountry services, will be carried out on Boxing Day and the 27th December in a dispute over pay, job security and conditions.

Union members will walkout from 9pm on Boxing Day until 9pm on the 27th December.

The union wants a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies, no changes to conditions and a pay increase.

This action replaces the strike action at CrossCountry by TSSA on 17th December, action which has now been cancelled. Action short of a strike set for the 16th and 17th December remains in place.

At CrossCountry, TSSA members carry out a number of roles including Customer Service Managers (CSM), Driver Managers (DTM), Trainers, Control, Customer Communications, Safety, Timetabling and Planning.

TSSA  Organising Director, Nadine Rae. said: “Our members at CrossCountry do not want to strike, especially over the Christmas holiday period, but they are sick and tired of being taken for granted.

“They deserve a pay rise to help manage the escalating cost of living, and they rightly demand job security. The company, like all the train operators under the control of the Department for Transport, need to face up to the fact that only serious offers which meet our aspirations will end this dispute.

“Rail workers are seeking basic fair treatment: not to be sacked from their jobs; a fair pay rise in the face of a cost-of-living-crisis; and no race to the bottom on terms and conditions.

“Make no mistake we will again see trains coming to a halt unless rail bosses and the government do the right thing for our members and our precious rail network which so many people rely on.”

TSSA action partly overlaps with action by the RMT and continues into 27 December as TSSA-only strike action.

RMT members reject latest Network Rail pay rise offer

The RMT Union has announced that its members have voted to reject the latest offer from Network Rail.

It means that all strike action planned for this week, over the Christmas period and into the new year, will go ahead as planned.

63.6% of members opted to reject the offer of 5% and 4% pay rise over a two year period.

However, the RMT union also says that the pay rises came with a 50% cut in maintenance tasks, job losses and a 30% increase in unsocialable hours.

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “This is a huge rejection of Network Rail’s substandard offer and shows that our members are determined to take further strike action in pursuit of a negotiated settlement.

“The government is refusing to lift a finger to prevent these strikes and it is clear they want to make effective strike action illegal in Britain.

“We will resist that and our members, along with the entire trade union movement will continue their campaign for a square deal for workers, decent pay increases and good working conditions.”

Industrial action short of a strike is planned to take place from 13 December – 8 January inclusive.

During this time there will be no Chiltern Railways service operating north of Banbury.

There will be no Chiltern Railways on any route on Sunday 18th December.

Services will operate from around 0800-1600 for most of this period.

During times of operation, there will be four Chiltern Railways services per hour in each direction: 

One train per hour (each direction) between London Marylebone and Banbury
One train per hour (each direction) between London Marylebone and Oxford Parkway
One train per hour (each direction) between London Marylebone and Aylesbury via High Wycombe
One train per hour (each direction) between Aylesbury Vale Parkway and Amersham.

That is a 'Yes' then!

This morning the SoS was being questioned by the Transport Committee. Then Ben Bradshaw aske the SoS if he could say -Yes or No- whether No10 or the Treasury had insisted on the DOO clause being added at the last minute, just when a deal was likely. He did not answer the question.
Seen around or just past 10.21.00 on the link below

https://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/20875a20-10d7-4d50-868a-d1f6b8776b14

I find myself wondering if these dates have been chosen because they'll apply more pressure to Network Rail, hitting the major engineering works at Christmas program which can't easily be moved back a couple of weeks.   Also popular with staff who, perhaps, don't want to work Christmas.

Yep - from New Civil Engineer

I find myself wondering if these dates have been chosen because they'll apply more pressure to Network Rail, hitting the major engineering works at Christmas program which can't easily be moved back a couple of weeks.   Also popular with staff who, perhaps, don't want to work Christmas.

I find myself wondering if these dates have been chosen because they'll apply more pressure to Network Rail, hitting the major engineering works at Christmas program which can't easily be moved back a couple of weeks.   Also popular with staff who, perhaps, don't want to work Christmas.

Network Rail’s planned £120M engineering works for the festive period could be severely affected if the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) members’ walk out between 24 and 27 December goes ahead.

I find myself wondering if these dates have been chosen because they'll apply more pressure to Network Rail, hitting the major engineering works at Christmas program which can't easily be moved back a couple of weeks.   Also popular with staff who, perhaps, don't want to work Christmas.

Bear in mind these additional strike days are on Network Rail, not the TOCs. So maintenance & signallers. ...

Meaning shut down *by* 6pm I think? So very few long distance services after lunchtime, and most others by 4pm

Ah - maybe issues with 1X01 this year then.   Which union are the crew members of?

Meaning shut down *by* 6pm I think? So very few long distance services after lunchtime, and most others by 4pm

RDG offer, 4% this year plus 4% next year plus

https://media.raildeliverygroup.com/news/employers-offer-rmt-a-framework-agreement-to-end-national-dispute-and-save-christmas

RMT

   The proposed principles for reforming working practices include:

To meet the growing demand for weekend leisure travel, particularly on Sundays, current voluntary working arrangements across the railways will be formalised
Use of part-time contracts and flexible working rosters and patterns to encourage a more diverse workforce who can fit shifts around other commitments
The creation of a new multi-skilled station worker role, with station staff trained and equipped to take on a range of responsibilities aimed at better meeting the needs of customers

.  The RDG is offering 4% in 2022 and 2023 which is conditional on RMT members accepting vast changes to working practices, huge job losses, Driver Only Operated (DOO) trains on all companies and the closure of all ticket offices.

Key points within the RDG's determinantal proposals:

1. That all Workforce Changes are accepted without reservation or industrial action;
2. Closure of all ticket offices and displacement of all retail staff;
3. Creation of a new multi-skilled station grades;
4. A mass job severance programme;
5. Driver-Only Operation of trains in all companies and on all passenger services;
6. New arrangements for mandatory Sunday working;
7. A review of all On-Train Catering services leading to cutbacks in provision and jobs;
8. Review of Fleet grades’ working practices and depot driving;
9. Flexible working contracts, working and rosters;
10. Mandatory adoption of new technology with no payment;
11. New Attendance Management scheme;
12. Review of Stood Off arrangements;
13. New annual leave and sick pay arrangements

https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/rmt-reject-rail-delivery-group-offer/

So the RMT are completely misrepresenting the RDG position with phrases like "closure of all ticket offices" and "huge job losses"

No compulsory losses....redesigned multi-skilled station staff including ticket sellers in ticket machine areas.

Anyone care to explain what these are please?

No compulsory losses....redesigned multi-skilled station staff including ticket sellers in ticket machine areas.

Anyone care to explain what these are please?

The arrangements usually known as “Stood-Off” are a set of longstanding agreements established under British Rail that are still in place with Network Rail for staff who are certified as unable to continue in their own role, but are able for alternate duties - Suitable Alternative Work.

12. Review of Stood Off arrangements;

Just been turned down

https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/rmt-reject-rail-delivery-group-offer/

for Network rail staff,yes, but this is the first offer made by the RDG on behalf of the rail operators, only taken half-a-year or more.

Isn't that an 'old' offer - been on the table for weeks. They're looking for this amount over one yaer, with additional for any 'modernisation' I thought

The Rail Delivery Group has said that train companies have offered the RMT union a framework agreement that would support pay increases up to 8%.

The plans will also see ‘vital and long overdue’ changes to working agreements to secure the future of the railways.

Included in the plans is a guarantee on no compulsory redundancies until the 1st April 2024.

These proposals give the union an opportunity to call of planned action which is currently set to start on the 13th December.

The reformed principles include

 - Current voluntary working agreements on the railways will be formalised
 - Use of part-time contracts and flexible working rosters to encourage a more diverse workforce
 - A new Multi-Skilled Station Worker Role will be created with station staff trained and equipped to take on a range of
   responsibilties.

A spokesperson from the Rail Delivery Group, said: “This is a fair and affordable offer in challenging times, providing a significant uplift in salary for staff. If approved by the RMT, implementation could be fast-tracked to ensure staff go into Christmas secure in the knowledge that they will receive this enhanced pay award early in the New Year alongside a guarantee of job security until April 2024.

“With revenue stuck at 20% below pre-pandemic levels and many working practices unchanged in decades, taxpayers who have contributed £1,800 per household to keep the railway running in recent years, will balk at continuing to pump billions of pounds a year into an industry that desperately needs to move forward with long-overdue reforms and that alienates potential customers with sustained industrial action.

“We urge the RMT leadership to put this offer to its membership and remove the threat of a month of industrial action over Christmas that will upset the travel plans of millions and cause real hardship for businesses which depend on Christmas custom. Instead, we urge the RMT to move forward together with us and so we can give our people a pay rise and deliver an improved railway with a sustainable, long-term future for those who work on it.”

                                                                            28 November 2022
Dear Mr Lynch,

Thank you for meeting me last week; it was constructive and positive.

We both agree the industrial dispute on the railways has gone on too long. It’s bad for your members, losing out on pay and overtime, bad for businesses who depend on trains to bring them goods and customers and bad for people across our country who depend on the railways. Worse, disruption pushes more and more people away from using the railways, some of whom will never come back. We both want a long-term sustainable railway that provides both great service and rewarding jobs. Every day’s industrial action makes that harder to deliver.

There is a way forwards to meet everyone’s needs. By modernising working practices, we can deliver the savings that lower post-Covid passenger numbers require, restore financial sustainability and not place an unfair burden on taxpayers. My role is to facilitate and support – not negotiate. Negotiations will continue between trade unions and employers, but I can see scope for agreement.
Let me set out how I think we can help support that. Better information sharing between the Rail Minister, trade unions and those leading the negotiations on behalf of the employers can speed up this process. We will soon convene a further meeting to help advance, with the good faith of all parties, settlement discussions and progress in this dispute.

I want to work with you and employers in good faith to help resolve these long-standing issues, and help the employers and you reach a resolution that is fair to all. I would hope this will lead to progress that will allow you to call off industrial action.

Yours sincerely,
Rt Hon Mark Harper MP
SECRETARY OF STATE FOR TRANSPORT

I was at PAD tonight and I saw the 1732 departure for Bristol TM which likewise was rammed full with staff preventing further passengers from attempting to join it.

14:30 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington due 16:07 has run as scheduled.

Additional Information

We're sorry for any changes this brings to your travel plans today.

ScotRail strike off as RMT staff accept pay offer

Staff at ScotRail have accepted an increased pay offer, averting a planned series of strikes.

The RMT had planned to strike next Saturday followed by regular walk-outs on Fridays and Saturdays up to Christmas.

Members were voting on a 5% rise plus an extra £750.

ScotRail said this means wages will rise by 7.5% for staff such as conductors and ticket examiners with an 8.5% increase for lower-paid workers.

Announcing the result of the ballot, the RMT said 67.7% of members who voted opted to accept the offer which the union had recommended.

However the deal is separate to the ongoing pay dispute and industrial action being taken by Network Rail staff who are members of the RMT.

The strikes were temporarily suspended on 10 November after ScotRail made the improved pay offer.

As part of the improved deal, minimum flat rate pay has been increased to £10.50 per hour and a no compulsory redundancies guarantee has also been increased from five to six years.

The current agreement on rest day working has been extended until 31 October 2023.

The next wave of rail strikes over the festive period could cost the hospitality industry an estimated £1.5b a day, UKHospitality has warned.

The trade body said businesses had already seen large-scale cancellations with operators facing their third Christmas in a row with disrupted trading.

It warned the damage caused by eight days of 48-hour strikes in December and January could be of a similar scale to that caused by the Omicron Covid-19 variant on bookings last year.

The Night Time Industries Association has stressed how damaging the latest rail strikes in the UK will be for bars, clubs, venues and other night-time businesses, coming as they do in the middle of the key Christmas party season.

Indeed, NTIA boss Michael Kill says next month’s strike action will be “catastrophic” for bars, clubs and music venues, fearing that the strikes could result in a big drop in the number of people having nights out in December, certainly on the strike days, and maybe more generally.

Rail, Transport and Maritime union (RMT) general secretary Mick Lynch is back on the war path. The straight-talking trade union leader did another round of the TV studios ahead of planned strikes. The results were predictable: posh, smug TV presenters left gaping.

From the BBC


So as I read it, they're having talks about talks, and whilst they share an agreement that the dispute has gone on too long (!!) the government - quoted with Mr Harper as a spokesman - maintains that there are unchanged (?) pre-requisites for a solution on their side.

Pity the poor passenger, and the long term future of the rail industry and those who work there - but let's hope and encourage works towards a solution - that there may be opportunities in discussions to move forward.

Train strikes: Minister hopes Christmas walkouts can be stopped

[snip]

But Mr Harper has now agreed to help both sides come back to the table and will write to RMT boss Mick Lynch setting out the terms under which talks can take place.

Mr Harper said there was a "shared agreement" that the dispute had gone on for too long, but would not commit to offering more government money to help resolve the dispute.

Instead he maintained that industry reform was needed to deliver the savings which would enable a "reasonable pay rise" for staff.

[snip]

14:30
Here is a full summary of what Mick Lynch, the RMT general secretary, said when he spoke to journalists after his meeting with Mark Harper, the transport secretary.

Lynch said the meeting with Mark Harper was “positive”. He said:

I would say it was a positive meeting in the sense that we’ve got rid of the bellicose nonsense that we used to have from Grant Shapps and his cohort, in his era, and we are now starting to get a dialogue.

But he said the RMT was no closer to calling off the strikes scheduled for December and January. He said that would not happen until a reasonable offer was on the table. He said:


If we call off the strikes, we’ll never get a settlement. We did that two weeks ago. We’ve changed our dates in response to public opinion. When the Queen passed, when we had the poppy day, we’ve done other things. We have not had a strike for seven weeks, and nothing has happened. So anyone that’s been involved in industrial relations knows that there has got to leverage and pressure at the table from both sides. That will create the compromises and the resolutions that we’re all looking for.

If I take these [strike] actions off without any outcome, my members won’t forgive me for doing that. And we know that the pressure will be off all the parties.

He said Harper had committed to giving the RMT a letter setting out a process towards a resolution of the rail dispute.

He said he wanted Harper to give the rail industry a fresh mandate to negotiate an end to the dispute. He said that although the RMT has been in talks with the Rail Delivery Group, which represents rail companies, it did not seem to have proper authority to negotiate. The individual companies were also saying they could not negotiate either, he said. He said he asked Harper to clarify who had authority to negotiate, and to set up a liaison group involving ministers. He went on:

[Harper] has got a legal responsibility for industrial relations, and the responsibility to set their mandate, ie what they can say, what they can offer, and what they can negotiate on at that table. So I’m hoping he’s going to do that, hopefully today … He needs to clarify in writing where he stands and where the industry stands when they are transacting with us in those discussions.

He said he did not expect Harper to be at the negotiating table with him. But he did expect ministers to be “engaged in the process”.

He claimed the current negotiating situation was “surreal” because the employers did not have a mandate to negotiate a resolution. He said the Rail Delivery Group had told the RMT it was not able to engage in collective bargaining. And the individual rail companies said they could not engage in collective bargaining either, he said. He went on:

So this is a completely strange and surreal situation. I’m responsible for my union, and I stand in front of you and take whatever you want to throw at me. Nobody from the employers is prepared to stand in front of me and take the responsibility for settling this dispute. That’s what we need. We need somebody of authority, which has to start with the secretary of state and the rail minister, who I want to work with positively, to take responsibility for settling this dispute.

He said Harper had denied that the Department for Transport was the “blockage” preventing a solution to the dispute. Lynch said someone seemed to be blocking a solution, but he said it was not clearly exactly who it was.

He said he had urged Harper to speed up negotiations. The talks have been running for six months already, he said. “And we have had not one document put across the table. That has to change,” he said.

He said jobs, and terms and conditions, were more important to his members than pay levels. He said:

My members are telling me you’ve got to secure me my job, and you’ve got to get me a set of terms and conditions that are acceptable, and then we can talk about what we’re getting paid. If you haven’t got a job, you don’t get a pay rise anyway.

He said the train operators were “only interested in profit”. He said:

They made profit throughout Covid and they made profit throughout these disputes, where they have been indemnified for every day of strike action. This lot in the Department of Transport have been paying all their costs while all the businesses in London and across this country have been suffering losses, while the train operators have had all of their revenue protected by this government.

He said plans to cut 50% of maintenance inspections on the railway were not acceptable.

He said he would urge passengers disrupted by the rail strikes to contact Tory MPs and urge them to “get these ministers to get us a settlement”.

14:37
Mark Harper, the transport secretary, has said his meeting with Mick Lynch, the RMT general secretary, was productive. In a clip for broadcasters, he adopted a consensual tone, stressing the “shared” objectives of both sides, but did not offer commitments on substance. He said:


[Lynch] and I both agreed that this was a productive meeting. It was the first one that that we’ve had. I think it struck the right tone.

I think there was a shared agreement in the meeting. We both want to have a thriving railway that is sustainable for the future, that serves passengers, that serves the country and also provides good, well-paid jobs for the people that he represents. I think there’s a lot of shared agreement there.

But we need to have the two sides, the trade unions and the employers, sit down, agree on the detail, so that we can bring this dispute to an end. I think that’s where we both have a shared interest.

15:05
The Department for Transport has now sent out a news release with a statement from Mark Harper about his meeting with Mick Lynch, the RMT general secretary. It mostly echoes what he told the BBC (see 2.32pm), but it includes a line saying he thinks “there is a deal to be done”. He says:


We have common ground - we both want the dispute to end and we both want a thriving railway which delivers for passengers and workers alike. To achieve this though, we need to work together, across the entire industry to ensure our railway industry thrives.

There is a deal to be done, and I believe we will get there – I want to facilitate the RMT and the employers to reach an agreement and end the dispute for the benefit of the travelling public.

I think that is probably correct. What would make it more interesting is what that offer might be.

RMT union members who work at several key London Underground stations will take strike action this Friday (November 25) in a continued dispute over the non-backfilling of up to 600 positions which the union claims will compromise passenger and staff safety. The walkout is a culmination of a week-long overtime ban which started on Sunday (November 20).

Station staff at Victoria, Euston, Green Park, King's Cross St Pancras, Heathrow Terminals 2,3, Heathrow Terminal 4, Heathrow Terminal 5, Hatton Cross and Hounslow West will take part in the action, as well as staff in the London Underground 's special requirements team, which provides support across the network subject to demand (such as for major events).

Transport for London (TfL) is advising passengers using these stations to check journeys before travelling, although the stations should remain open for most of the day. It only expects stations to have to close if available staff drop below the minimum levels at the start or end of the day. If this happens, Tube trains won't stop at the above stations.

As the strike only relates to London Underground station staff, National Rail (including London Overground and Elizabeth line) and Heathrow Express staff will operate as normal so non-Tube services will still be able to stop at affected stations. Euston Square Tube station will be open as normal, which is a five minute walk away from Euston.

continues....

Edit note: I've renamed this topic to include all rail unions - a one stop shop for all rail union strike posts, information and debate. Also changed 'summer' to '2022/2023' to reflect the ongoing industrial action.

Busier motorways, more lost customers and less revenue for the railways.

I see ASLEF's strike on Saturday now affects "only" 11 train companies. Not sure who's dropped out.

What about the strike on Saturday?
Saturday's strike, called by the Aslef union over pay, involves train drivers working for:

Avanti West Coast - no services on the day
Chiltern Railways - no services
CrossCountry - no services
East Midlands Railway - no services
Great Western Railway - an "extremely limited" service
Greater Anglia - "heavily reduced" service
London North Eastern Railway - "limited" service
Northern Trains - no services
Southeastern - no services
Transpennine Express - "very limited" service
West Midlands Trains - no services
There may also be disruption on the days before and after the strike day.

Strike action at London Overground - which had been expected on Saturday - has been suspended while union members consider a new pay offer.

The Rail Delivery Group has responded to today's (21 November 2022) statement from the RMT.

A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group, said:

“We have made real progress over the last fortnight and for the first time in months we can see the outline of a credible deal.

"Any strikes will only cause further misery for customers and struggling businesses in the run up to Christmas and beyond. The RMT leadership should now remove any uncertainty around Christmas and commit to protecting everyone’s first festive period post Covid from any strike disruption. 

"The alternative is a bleak winter of industrial action, making it harder to find workable solutions to bring about the much-needed changes that will help secure the railway’s future and unlock the funds for a pay offer. Revenues are still 20% down on 2019 level and this dispute has brought the industry’s post-pandemic recovery to a shuddering halt – with strikes since June resulting in lost revenue of £250-£300m.

"We urge the RMT leadership to stay at the negotiating table so we can build on that progress and end a dispute that is harming passengers and businesses, the industry, and their members.”

It's fine for the RMT to express their disappointment regarding RD and NR withdrawing from negotiations the RMT made no effort to recommend what was on offer.

I suspect the Government will still proceed with it hasty legislation

TRAIN COMPANIES CANCEL NEGOTIATIONS AND MAKE NO OFFER IN NATIONAL RAIL DISPUTE

It’s not looking good:

https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/train-companies-cancel-negotiations-and-make-no-offer-in/


I think we’re going to need a new thread soon. 

TRAIN COMPANIES CANCEL NEGOTIATIONS AND MAKE NO OFFER IN NATIONAL RAIL DISPUTE

RMT Press Office:

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the Train Operating Companies (TOCs), has today without any credible explanation refused to make their promised written proposals in the six-month dispute over jobs, terms and conditions and pay.

Similarly, Network Rail has also refused to make any proposals promised at the conclusion of intensive talks last week. RMT suspended strike action on the basis that they would make new proposals by November 17 and it has failed to table anything new.

This will mean that despite having shown good faith in attending a fortnight of discussions with both halves of the industry, the union has no new proposals to consider or put to its members.

RMT’s National Executive Committee will meet tomorrow morning (Tuesday 22nd November 2022) to consider the matter and it is highly likely that further phases of industrial action will be set down.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said:

“After a fortnight of talks, the TOCs had committed to making a firm offer in writing for the first time today.  They cancelled the meeting at an hour’s notice, and we can sense the hand of the Tory government in this as we believe that they are not allowing an offer to be made.

“This is on top of Network Rail failing to make a new proposal at the end of last week.

“Our members have shown their commitment to the dispute and to winning workplace justice in the re-ballot results last week and their union is equally determined to see this dispute through until we get a deal our members can support.

“Tomorrow morning our National Executive Committee will be meeting to consider this. We have been patient and have shown good faith which has not been returned. 

“Therefore, I will be recommending that we set out further phases of sustained industrial action in support of our members.

“While we will remain available for meaningful negotiations it is now obvious that the other side is unwilling or unable to progress matters appropriately, so our action will be reinstated,” he said.