Rail Gourmet members to strike again

Rail union RMT said that Rail Gourmet members based at the Edinburgh Depot will be taking further strike action in a fight for workplace justice following a comprehensive breakdown in industrial relations. The staff work on the inter-city LNER contract.

Following a comprehensive YES vote in the ballot in favour of taking strike action and action short of a strike, and after previous action last month, RMT today announced that further strikes will now take place. The dispute centres around a number of concerns, namely:

• Bullying and Harassment of Staff
• Abuse of the Disciplinary Procedures
• Non Payment of Additional Duties

Therefore, the union’s National Executive Committee has considered the matter and has instructed members to take strike action and not to book on for any shifts that commence between:

• 00.01 hours and 23.59 hours on Tuesday 4th December 2018
• 00.01 hours and 23.59 hours on Monday 24th December 2018

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said:

“This is a fight for workplace justice involving a crucial group of staff servicing the catering functions on LNER trains and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect just like any other group of transport workers.

“RMT will not stand back while bullying, abuse of procedures and non-payment for additional duties is rife. Our members have voted overwhelmingly for action in an earlier ballot and have shown rock solid support for this fight and it is now down to Rail Gourmet to take this dispute seriously and start talking about a settlement that puts fair treatment in the workplace at the top of the agenda.

"It is clear that the only way we can get management to address these issues immediately is by taking further strike action. ”

Ends.