Thousands of rail workers have spent the weekend doing nothing on full pay after the RMT union called off a series of national strikes at a few hours’ notice.
In the days ahead many rail staff are likely to remain idle, with significant parts of Great Britain deprived of trains despite the industrial action being suspended.
No trains will run in Devon or Cornwall on Monday, with drastically reduced services on many other lines. Rostering rules mean that train drivers cannot be called in at short notice.
Yet much of the railway will be fully staffed:
- Many Network Rail signal boxes are staffed even though no trains are scheduled
- Guards are being paid to sit in mess rooms as there are no services to work
- Station ticket offices are staffed even in locations with no trains running
With ticket revenue at a small fraction of normal levels during the expected disruption, taxpayers will pick up the multimillion-pound wage bill.
The union had called out members employed by Network Rail on Saturday 5, Monday 7 and Wednesday 9 November in its long-running dispute over pay, jobs and working conditions.
Staff working for 14 train operators were due to strike on 5 and 9 November.
With cancellations inevitable on the eve of the stoppage and on the days after each strike, the timing was designed to cause maximum disruption across a full week for a minimum loss of pay. The rail industry planned to run one in five trains across about half the network, with management and non-union staff operating a skeleton service.
But on Friday afternoon the strike was suddenly called off, with the union claiming it had secured concessions from the employers.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “The threat of strike action and our strongly supported industrial campaign has made the rail employers see sense.
“We have always wanted to secure a negotiated settlement and that is what we will continue to push for in this next phase of intensive talks.”
On Saturday the union said: “Suspending the strike action means our members are working today.”
But with “strike rosters” already implemented for the seven days between Friday 5 and Thursday 10 November, reinstatement of more than a fraction of trains was impossible.
The RMT union has declined to comment. But on social media the union blamed the employers for the late decision to call off the strike, saying:…
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