RMT
UK: Union claims victory as Metronet strike ends
The RMT has claimed victory over jobs and pensions defence following a solid strike of Metronet engineers.
Strike action by more than 2,300 Metronet maintenance workers was suspended late last night after more than eight hours of talks between RMT, the failed company, its administrator and TfL yielded progress on the issues involved in the dispute.
UK: Tube maintenance workers begin six days of strikes
The first of two 72 hour strikes by more than 2,300 workers at failed private maintenance firm Metronet is to go ahead from 6pm tonight.
The strikes were called after the company and its administrator failed to give the unequivocal guarantees on jobs, transfers and pensions that the union is seeking.
"The letter we have received from Metronet and the administrator falls way short of the guarantees our members need and deserve," RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today
Metronet works vote 95% in favour of strike action
Workers at the Tube maintenance consortium Metronet voted 95% in favour of strike action this week, as station staff on the Bakerloo line begin a second 24 hour strike over health and safety.
Metronet collapsed into administration recently, four years into a controversial PPP costing £17 billion. Jobs are going to be transferred to Bombardier, one of the stakeholders in the Metronet consortium.
Transport for London workers vote for strike action over pensions
RMT members covered by the Transport for London Pension Fund have voted by a massive 15-to-one margin for strike action to protect the pension rights of people forced to leave their jobs through ill-health.
The union is calling on the employers involved (list below) to guarantee that they will not bring forward or support proposed changes that would dramatically affect qualification for ill-health pensions.
Virgin rail catering workers on strike
Manchester: 100 catering workers at Virgin Trains are on strike in support of a sacked colleague.
Rachel Tombling sustained injuries when her head hit a computer screen in an on-board shop when her train experienced rough riding - but was sacked for wilfully damaging it. The sacking was upheld at an appeal, and now workers from Virgin West Coast’s Manchester Piccadilly depot are on strike, having been out for three days so far.
London tube workers strike over safety
A section of the Bakerloo line is suspended as 150 workers stage a 24 hour strike over staffing levels.
Drivers and station staff walked off the job for 24 hours at 10pm last night (Thursday) over management plans to reduce the number of station staff available to remove passengers from trains. This has caused the closure of the Bakerloo line between Queens Park and Harrow and Wealdstone.
North Sea oil divers face bully tactics during strike
Personal harrassment by managers has been reported by North Sea oil divers who have launched an indefinite strike over pay.
The strike by over 900 divers has entered its third day, and reports have been made that management are harrassing and intimidating workers in a bid to undermine the strike. Workers have been receiving intimidating phone calls at home urging them to return to work and sign individual contracts, a classic tactic used to break solidarity between strikers.
Heathrow Express strike tomorrow
More than seventy RMT members are set to go on strike at Heathrow Express on Thursday, after rejecting a pay offer by a margin of 12 to 1.
The workers will will not book on for shifts that commence between a minute after midnight and 23:59 on Thursday. Similar action is also scheduled for the following Monday, September 25th.
RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today:
900 strike at South West Trains
900 workers at South West Trains walk out in a row over management scabbing.
The workers at South West Trains (SWT) walked out at midnight for a 24 hour strike over management scabbing during previous industrial action, when managers drove trains. The striking workers are mostly members of Aslef, with some RMT drivers also involved.
Rail workers may strike across the UK
Rail workers across the entire national network are preparing to strike over increases to employee pension contributions.
If the strike goes ahead it will be the first national shutdown of the rail network since 1926, involving tens of thousands of workers in every train operator, network rail and maintenance companies.
