Easter threat of action on the railways

The threat of strikes by railway workers over Easter increasedyesterday when a second union announced that members had voted in favour of industrial action in a row over Network Rail's plans to axe 1,500 maintenance jobs.
By The Newsroom
Published 12th Mar 2010, 20:22 BST
Updated 12th Mar 2010, 20:22 BST

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) said its members working as supervisors voted by 56 per cent in favour of strikes and 77 per cent in support of industrial action short of a strike.

Two other groups of white-collar workers in TSSA backed industrial action, while managers voted against.

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It follows Thursday's announcement by the Rail Maritime and Transport union that its maintenance members had backed industrial action.

No strike dates will be announced before next Friday when the RMT will reveal the result of a ballot among Network Rail signal workers.

TSSA leader Gerry Doherty said: "It is not too late for Network Rail to listen to its workforce and the rail regulator, who said last week that their proposed changes could endanger safety."

Talks between union leaders and NR will be held next Thursday in an attempt to resolve the dispute.

An NR spokesman said: "We don't want a strike – we want to talk and find a solution for TSSA's members."

Related topics:Network Rail