Yorkshire commuters face disruption
COMMUTERS in Leeds could face major disruptions following the announcement that staff at some of the biggest railway stations in Britain are to be balloted for strike action in a row over pay and conditions.
Leaders of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association said employees at 17 stations – including Leeds – would vote on whether to support industrial action.
It warned that the strike could potentially cause “widespread disruption” during the summer holiday season.
The decision to hold a strike vote among the Network Rail staff followed the breakdown of talks over harmonising pay and conditions following a reorganisation of staff at all of Network Rail’s stations.
Manuel Cortes, the union’s assistant general secretary accused the company of refusing to guarantee that there will be no compulsory job losses during the reorganisation.
He said: “We are acutely aware that the entire network could grind to a halt without our members overseeing safety and security for the travelling public at these key stations and we are anxious to avoid that situation if we possibly can. But Network Rail must sensibly address our concerns about a common set of pay and conditions for all our members. They must also lift the threat hanging over them of compulsory redundancies.”
The strike ballot results will be announced next month.
The staff involved in the dispute work at stations including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and London’s Paddington, Euston and Kings Cross.
