Posted 29th March 2010 | 5 Comments
Network Rail may take legal action over strikes
AS TALKS resumed at ACAS today in a bid to halt next week's strikes by Network Rail maintenance staff and signallers, Network Rail revealed that it is not ruling out legal action in a bid to keep services running normally.
A Network Rail spokesman was unable to say at this stage what kind of legal challenge is being considered, although strikes have been prevented or at least delayed in the past by technical faults in the balloting process.
While negotiations continue, train operators have been in urgent discussions with Network Rail to draw up emergency timetables, should the four-hour signallers' strikes go ahead from Tuesday to Friday next week. East Midlands Trains was one of the first operators to reveal what is likely to happen on its main line from London to Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield, promising a ‘normal daytime service’ on the strike days. However, EMT has also warned that some regional and local services on other lines are likely to be disrupted.
It's expected that all operators will be in a position to publish emergency timetables before Easter.
Meanwhile, although the RMT is insisting that safety is being put at risk by Network Rail's proposals to reduce maintenance staff by 1,500, the Rail Safety and Standards Board has pointed out that safety on the railways has been improving over the last decade, and that rail is the safest form of land transport.
In an unusual intervention, RSSB deputy chief executive Anson Jack said: “The last ten years have seen greater recognition and appreciation by all parts of the industry that it works as a system, relying on cooperation and collaboration between different companies and by railway staff across company boundaries.
“Real improvements have come through sustained investment in modern equipment, modern trains, and in the area of track maintenance and inspections. It is not RSSB’s role to comment on the detail of the dispute, as the Safety Regulator is responsible for supervising Network Rail, but we have consistently observed that investment in modern equipment and working practices often removes the need for maintenance staff to be trackside and helps to eradicate human error and reduce the exposure of the workforce to risks to themselves.”
Reader Comments:
Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.
john smith, nuneaton
All these office working fools should get your facts straight, Network Rail are asking staff to work 39 weekday night shifts a year and 39 weekend shifts a year for a £750 a year pay rise ! if these shifts are imposed the impact on Network Rails staffs family and social lives would be devastating, im sure that if other companies tried to impose these shifts there staff would feel exactly as Network rails do! Network rails staff work in a very dangerous environment for what I consider not a lot of money, how many of these office workers stand 2 meters away from high speed trains (125mph) basic starting pay for a Network rail worker is £18,500.
So how many of these moaning london office workers would work 39 weekday night shifts a year and 39 weekend shifts a year standing only 2 meters from 125mph passing trains for £18,500 ! I think they should sit in there back supporting chairs in there warm offices and keep all there opinions about RMT and the upcoming strike to them selves !!!!
w.imlach, derby, england
i work or used to work for jarvis rail who have in affect be kicked off the railway by network rail i believe this to be a personel thing between higher managment of network rail and jarvis .2000 good railway workers are going to lose there jobs because of this ..The banks dont want to help the goverment dont want to help network rail dont want to help .So 2000 good railwaymen are put on the scrapheap its so good to be[ british]
barry lord-gambles, wigan, uk
what is happening to the country. where is the spirit of all working together. I am booked to bring my two grandcholdren and myself on a 4 day trip to london. they will be devastated if they can't go due to this strike.i can understand peoples frustration after the lenient treatment that bankers got but I think that rather than everyone going on strike we should all campaign for the greedy bankers to get there come uppance
Andrew John Blurton, Stafford, United Kingdom
SHOULD NETWORK RAIL SORT OUT THEIR BUSINESS PLANS OUT NOW & IF THEY ARE GOING TO MAKE OVER 2000 STAFF REDUNDENT AT A TIME WHEN THEY CAN START LOOKING AHEAD & PLANNING ON WHAT THEY INTEND TO BE DOING NOW FOR THE FUTURE OTHERWISE THE COMPANY WON'T BE FIT IN A 21ST CENTURY IF THE CAR INDUSTRY GOES ELECTRIC AS WELL!!!!
w.imlach, derby, england
I do not believe for 1 minute that Anson Jack has seen the real railway/ not the one from a air suspensioned coach which i suspect he has been on.He needs to get out of is office and go out at nights and see the numerous rail clamps huge voids caused by wetbeds these you dont feel in a coach.he is only stateing what he has been told to say by network rail bosses.Net work rail are very good in the publicity department but very uneconomical with the truth