08.08.08
Rail maintenance workers to escalate strike action over harmonisation following talks-progress veto
Some 12,000 Network Rail maintenance workers in Britain’s biggest rail union are to escalate strike action with a four-day stoppage from next Friday after the company cold-shouldered a call for top-level discussions to resolve a long-running harmonisation dispute.
RMT members have already taken strike action over two weekends, the most recent stoppage going ahead over the weekend of July 26 and 27 after progress made in talks over harmonisation of pay and conditions was vetoed by Network Rail at director level.
RMT members will not book on for shifts that commence between 00.01 on Friday August 15 and 23.59 hours on Monday August 18. They will also not work overtime or carry out on-call work between the same hours.
Union general secretary Bob Crow today renewed his call for NR chief executive Iain Coucher to meet the union’s leadership and to clarify exactly who in the company has the authority to negotiate.
“RMT members have shown the company how they feel by delivering two weekends of rock-solid strike action, and that is in stark contrast to the behaviour of Network Rail,” Bob Crow said today.
“After four hours of intense talks before our last stoppage our negotiating team thought enough progress had been made to recommend suspension of that strike, but that progress was vetoed at director level and we have yet to receive an explanation.
“We had been given assurances that the company’s team had the authority to make decisions, but it is quite clear that the agenda of those who have blocked the progress made is driven by the desire to use the harmonisation talks to impose budget cuts at our members’ expense.
“The company can protest until it is blue in the face, but they have not scheduled any further talks and I have yet to have a reply from Iain Coucher to my request for a face-to-face meeting.
“RMT remains ready to talk to reach a harmonisation package that is acceptable to our members, but it is down to the company to negotiate in good faith and stick to what it has agreed,” Bob Crow said.
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