TSSA union to hold fresh ballot of members over continued strike action

A fresh ballot is to be held among thousands of railway workers over whether to continue taking industrial action in the long-running dispute over jobs, pay and conditions.

Members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) with 12 train operators will vote in the coming weeks as the union aims to force a settlement.

The TSSA has been at the centre of the national rail dispute which has seen rolling strikes and other forms of industrial action since July last year.

Last month the union’s members voted overwhelmingly to accept an offer from Network Rail it said was worth up to 11% in pay, with other benefits, plus job security and terms and conditions guarantees.

The TSSA has also been in negotiations with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) over the past fortnight, and more talks are being held this week.

The union said no proposals have been made which address its demands.

The 12 companies involved in the new ballots are: C2C, Cross Country, East Midlands Railway, Greater Anglia, Great Western Railway, GTR, LNER, Northern, Southeastern Railway, South Western Railway, TransPennine Express and West Midlands Trains.

A re-ballot is already taking place at Avanti West Coast.

TSSA interim general secretary Frank Ward said: “We have been clear for some time it is our intention to move to re-ballot members across the train companies in the absence of an acceptable offer.

“The talks in recent weeks have again highlighted how much of a block on serious offers this Government is being and there’s no way we will simply sit on our hands in the hope that something changes.

“This dispute could have been sorted months ago, but as things stand we are still without an offer for all our members in the train operating companies.

“This remains the case even though we have settled with Network Rail, and ministers know that.

“Our members are resolute and determined to use their industrial power to secure job security, an acceptable pay rise and protections to their terms and conditions.

“No one wants a race to the bottom or practices that would make our railways less safe or less accessible for passengers, so we are pressing ahead with these ballots – and calling on members to vote yes.”