This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/8598456.stm
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Court halts RMT rail strike plans | Court halts RMT rail strike plans |
| (19 minutes later) | |
| A planned national rail strike by the RMT union has been called off after Network Rail challenged it in the High Court. | A planned national rail strike by the RMT union has been called off after Network Rail challenged it in the High Court. |
| The company was granted an injunction after it alleged discrepancies in the RMT's ballot for industrial action. | The company was granted an injunction after it alleged discrepancies in the RMT's ballot for industrial action. |
| It means a four-day strike, due to start next Tuesday, will not go ahead. | It means a four-day strike, due to start next Tuesday, will not go ahead. |
| Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT, said the judgement was "an attack on the whole trade union movement" and the executive would recommend a re-ballot. | |
| Mr Crow said: "Workers fighting for the principle of a safe railway have had the whole weight of the law thrown against them." | |
| Earlier, a QC representing Network Rail told Judge Mrs Justice Sharp, who made the order, that "unlawful" strike action would cause "immense damage to the economy". | |
| Robin Gisby, head of operations at Network Rail, said: "This is good news for the millions of passengers who rely on us every day, for our freight users and for the country." | |
| The RMT had planned to strike over Network Rail's plans to cut 1,500 jobs and increase evening and weekend maintenance work. | The RMT had planned to strike over Network Rail's plans to cut 1,500 jobs and increase evening and weekend maintenance work. |
| The union says the plans would affect rail safety. | The union says the plans would affect rail safety. |
| Responding to the rail strike cancellation, Transport Secretary Lord Adonis said it would be "a huge relief" to all those who were planning on travelling on the railways next week. | |
| "It is now vital that the two sides in this dispute get back round the table as soon as possible to negotiate a settlement and I call on them to do so," he said. |