More rail workers would strike next month in Britain in the growing wave of industrial unrest sweeping the country, it was announced on Friday.
The Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) said thousands of its members in Network Rail and a number of train operators would walk out on Oct. 1 in the long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
The announcement was made soon after the chancellor told members of parliament the government was planning action to stop “militant” trade unions from closing down the transport system.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union and Aslef would also be also striking on Oct. 1, threatening a complete shutdown of Britain’s rail system the day before the opening of the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.
ASLEF members are also striking on Oct. 5, while the TSSA would hold further stoppages on Oct. 5, 6 and 8.
TSSA members involved in the action include staff working in ticket offices, stations, control rooms, and other support roles.
The announcement comes after the TSSA cancelled strike dates scheduled for September following Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
The TSSA is seeking a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies, a pay rise which meets the cost-of-living crisis and no unagreed changes to terms and conditions.
General Secretary Manuel Cortes said: “We do not take this action lightly.
“We would much rather find a fair negotiated solution to this now long-running dispute, but we simply have no choice.
“A huge number of rail workers in our union, many of whom are longstanding members, had never been directly involved in an industrial dispute before this year.
“Across our railways, our members recently stepped up to the plate yet again and went above and beyond to meet unprecedented demand during the period of public mourning to provide additional services and keep the public safe, much like they did during the pandemic.’’
“They proved their worth time and time again and yet they were still undervalued.
“We can only hope the new Secretary of State for Transport can see sense where her predecessor could not.
“She has the power to mandate a fair pay rise, reasonable terms and conditions and end this dispute.
“It is time for train operators to meet us round the table and reach fair solutions.” (dpa/NAN)
