31 July 2019
RMT Press Office:
RMT announces additional East Midlands Trains strike as Stagecoach cut and run from last rail franchises
Rail union RMT has confirmed an additional day of strike action on East Midlands Trains as franchise holder Stagecoach stands accused of cutting and running before they are dumped from the rail network in a row with the government over pension obligations.
A third day of action in the current phase of the dispute goes ahead this Saturday but the union has now added a further 24 hour strike on Saturday 17th August.
The dispute is over EMT’s management’s failure to bring a meaningful resolution to RMT members’ concerns over Pay Discrimination and Contract issues. Staff have ended up caught in the crossfire of a bust-up between Stagecoach and the DfT and are being expected to pay the price for the continuing franchise chaos on Britain's privatised railways.
RMT has made every effort to broker a negotiated settlement but have been snubbed at every turn by the Stagecoach-owned company who have given up on any pretence of serious management as they adopt a scorched-earth policy aimed at extracting every penny they can before they are kicked off the railways in light of the pensions scandal.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said;
“East Midlands Trains lack of commitment to deal with our concerns over contractual issues such as compulsory Sunday working, wage discrimination and other matters is a total disgrace. RMT members will not be left to pay a heavy personal price as Stagecoach slash and burn their way through their remaining franchises in advance of getting banned from the railway by the DfT. It is an outrageous state of affairs.
“As a result of this cavalier approach RMT has confirmed an additional day of strike action in order to force the company take the issues seriously and start acting responsibly.
“The union remains available for talks but we are not in the business of being strung along and the past two weekends of rock solid action have shown the resilience and determination of our EMT members to see justice.”
Ends
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