Rail staff call off 48-hour strike set for holiday

BANK holiday rail travellers between Scotland and England have had the threat of disruption lifted after a planned strike on the East Coast Main Line was suspended.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union working on the route between Edinburgh and London for Virgin Trains had been due to walk out for 48 hours on Friday and Saturday in a dispute over the role of guards and other issues.

In a message to RMT members, general secretary Mick Cash said the company had confirmed there will be a train manager on every passenger service, carrying out safety critical duties previously carried out by the guard, and it is not the firm’s intention to change this.

“Management has also reiterated there will be no compulsory redundancies as a result of these changes,” he said.

David Horne, Virgin Trains’ managing director on the east coast route, said: “We’re pleased the RMT has agreed to suspend industrial action and continue talks.

“We had put in place contingency plans which would have seen our timetable run as normal, nevertheless this news will be welcomed by our customers.

“We are making exciting changes on the east coast as part of the customer-centric revolution which has seen us embark on a £140 million investment programme in our trains and stations.

“The on-board changes have already resulted in an improved customer experience.”

Virgin said it had given assurances on each point raised by the union at the start of the dispute, including keeping the safety critical duties on-board.