Strike action ‘on the cards’ says rail union fighting threat of job losses

A LEADING rail workers’ union is warning of a national strike over job cuts.

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) said rail workers faced losing their jobs this year just as the cost of living crisis spirals.

The union is calling for an extension to a no compulsory redundancy agreement to safeguard employment for those wishing to stay in the rail industry and warned a national rail strike in 2022 was “very much on the cards”.

TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said: “Our union has been crystal clear that any threat to use compulsory redundancies will be met with industrial action ballots.

“We wrote to rail bosses in

November 2021 seeking assurances the industry-wide no compulsory redundancy policy would continue to remain in place throughout 2022. Sadly, a new year has arrived and we are still waiting for the bosses to meet our union’s job security ask.

“We have been told that although thousands of people will be leaving employment within our rail industry during 2022 through voluntary severance, this won’t be enough to deliver the £2 billion worth of cuts the Government is seeking.

“A national rail strike in 2022 is very much on the cards.”

A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group said: “Like any industry hit by the pandemic we face tough financial challenges – money from fares has decreased by 80% from over £10bn to £2bn and the government is providing at least £24bn by 2025.

“To build back a railway which puts the needs of our changing passenger first, it is necessary to change the way the network is run and the rail network cannot take more than its fair share from the public purse.”