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| Rail strikes planned after workers at two train companies vote for action | Rail strikes planned after workers at two train companies vote for action |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Train passengers face disruption after employees at two train companies voted to go on strike. | Train passengers face disruption after employees at two train companies voted to go on strike. |
| Workers on Northern Rail have voted to strike over jobs and safety, while engineers at Southern are to stage a five-day walkout after a “comprehensive breakdown” in industrial relations. | |
| Meanwhile, talks aimed at averting a strike by London Underground workers will not resume until Monday, days before a 24-hour stoppage is due to start from Wednesday evening. | |
| Related: London faces biggest tube strike in more than 10 years over night shift pay | |
| At Northern Rail, members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union backed walkouts by 80% and other forms of industrial action by 90%. The union said it was in dispute over several issues including the removal of permanent posts and the creation of zero-hours jobs via a contract with a security company, cuts to booking offices and attacks on the role and responsibility of train guards. | At Northern Rail, members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union backed walkouts by 80% and other forms of industrial action by 90%. The union said it was in dispute over several issues including the removal of permanent posts and the creation of zero-hours jobs via a contract with a security company, cuts to booking offices and attacks on the role and responsibility of train guards. |
| The union said Northern Rail had also given no commitment that there would be no compulsory redundancies beyond the end of its current franchise in February 2016. | The union said Northern Rail had also given no commitment that there would be no compulsory redundancies beyond the end of its current franchise in February 2016. |
| RMT’s general secretary, Mick Cash, said: “RMT has made every effort to win assurances from Northern Rail over jobs, services and safety. However, the company continues to ride roughshod over our efforts. | RMT’s general secretary, Mick Cash, said: “RMT has made every effort to win assurances from Northern Rail over jobs, services and safety. However, the company continues to ride roughshod over our efforts. |
| “We therefore had no option but to ballot all staff for action to force the company to take these issues seriously and the members have now voted decisively for action. That mandate will now be considered by the union. | “We therefore had no option but to ballot all staff for action to force the company to take these issues seriously and the members have now voted decisively for action. That mandate will now be considered by the union. |
| “The union is committed to ending the two-tier workforce that the security contract creates and calls for all workers to be brought in-house on decent pay and conditions. We are also committed to keeping ticket offices open and defending guards’ jobs, which are safety-critical. | “The union is committed to ending the two-tier workforce that the security contract creates and calls for all workers to be brought in-house on decent pay and conditions. We are also committed to keeping ticket offices open and defending guards’ jobs, which are safety-critical. |
| “The RMT remains available for talks and we expect the company to now take this dispute, and the issues at the heart of it, seriously.” | “The RMT remains available for talks and we expect the company to now take this dispute, and the issues at the heart of it, seriously.” |
| Southern rail engineers are to stage a five-day strike, walking out from 5pm on Sunday 12 July. They will also ban overtime over the weekend of 10-12 July. | |
| The move follows a 9-1 vote for strikes among union members at Southern, which operates commuter and other services between London and the Sussex coast. | The move follows a 9-1 vote for strikes among union members at Southern, which operates commuter and other services between London and the Sussex coast. |
| RMT said hundreds of engineers were involved in the dispute and warned that the strike would hit services. | RMT said hundreds of engineers were involved in the dispute and warned that the strike would hit services. |
| Officials said under the 2013 pay settlement a working group of union reps and managers was set up to find productivity measures that could cut the working week. The union said the group could not find any way to bring in a 35-hour week with no extra cost to the company. | Officials said under the 2013 pay settlement a working group of union reps and managers was set up to find productivity measures that could cut the working week. The union said the group could not find any way to bring in a 35-hour week with no extra cost to the company. |
| Productivity measures were subsequently brought in for engineers without leading to a reduction in the working week, said the union. | Productivity measures were subsequently brought in for engineers without leading to a reduction in the working week, said the union. |
| Cash said: “RMT will not stand by while agreed policies, procedures and agreements are unilaterally ripped up by Southern and promises on the reduction in the working week are kicked aside despite increases in productivity. | Cash said: “RMT will not stand by while agreed policies, procedures and agreements are unilaterally ripped up by Southern and promises on the reduction in the working week are kicked aside despite increases in productivity. |
| “As a result we declared a dispute and our engineering grades have now delivered a massive vote for industrial action and that programme of strikes and overtime bans will begin next week. | “As a result we declared a dispute and our engineering grades have now delivered a massive vote for industrial action and that programme of strikes and overtime bans will begin next week. |
| “In all of this, management have failed to show our members the respect they deserve as skilled and dedicated workers. We have made every effort to talk to the company about these issues, but have got nowhere. The only option we have is to use industrial action. | “In all of this, management have failed to show our members the respect they deserve as skilled and dedicated workers. We have made every effort to talk to the company about these issues, but have got nowhere. The only option we have is to use industrial action. |
| “Southern is a company intensively under the spotlight over its performance at the moment and RMT will not have our members left unrewarded as they hit work targets and then face a barrage of attacks on working conditions and procedures. RMT remains available for talks.” | “Southern is a company intensively under the spotlight over its performance at the moment and RMT will not have our members left unrewarded as they hit work targets and then face a barrage of attacks on working conditions and procedures. RMT remains available for talks.” |
| Southern said: “We are disappointed that the RMT has decided to take this action at this time in the franchise, especially as we have been having meaningful talks with the union throughout this process about the issues raised.” | Southern said: “We are disappointed that the RMT has decided to take this action at this time in the franchise, especially as we have been having meaningful talks with the union throughout this process about the issues raised.” |
| Four unions are planning to strike on London Underground next week in a dispute over the new all-night tube, due to start over weekends from mid-September. | |
| Talks have been held this week at the conciliation service Acas, but the dispute remains deadlocked. | |
| The talks will not resume until Monday, with time running out on averting a walkout which would cripple tube service in the capital, hitting tennis fans going to Wimbledon. | |
| The strike is due to start on budget day on 8 July. |