New Off The Rails bulletin
Our new printed bulletin is out now - download it, share it, print it, give it out ... Click here.
Our new printed bulletin is out now - download it, share it, print it, give it out ... Click here.
ASLEF's strike on Saturday was solid and effective. We got loads of support from people passing our picket lines, especially posties' vans, bus drivers and fire engines.
However, drivers are unsure of what the strategy is going forward from here. Are we just waiting for instructions from head...
It's good to see that RMT has reiterated its position concerning Russia’s brutal imperialist war in Ukraine after comments made by Mick Lynch in a recent New Statesman interview appeared to put a lot of the blame for the on-going situation there on the EU.
A union spokesperson said: "The RMT...
Aslef's strike on nine TOCs has yet again stopped all but a small handful of trains moving.
There were lively pickets at depots across the country, with strong support from other unions - including, in a number of locations, from RMT reps.
With RMT due to strike again, alongside TSSA and Unite, on...
With Atalian Servest cleaners on Avanti West Coast and Churchill cleaners on numerous TOCs still in dispute, having taken multiple days of strike action, RMT is expanding its cleaners' fights to several other companies.
The union has announced plans to ballot Atalian Servest cleaners on LNER...
Avanti Trains West Coast is in freefall, with around three-quarters of its train services cancelled until further notice. It's an absolute nightmare for staff and passengers alike.
Avanti's profiteering owners (FirstGroup and Trentitalia) seem to think it is OK to trouser the money while treating...
It's disappointing to see that bands 1 to 4 at Network Rail, the "management grades", have voted to accept a one year, below inflation 4% pay offer.
This is hardly surprising given that TSSA, the union with negotiating rights for bands 1 to 4, recommended accepting the offer. TSSA said that band 1...
Tory Strife Is Our Opportunity
The Tory leader candidates have denounced each other and (implicitly) the Tories' whole record in government since 2010. The new Tory leader will start out as a choice rejected by over half the Tory MPs. We can take advantage of that strife only if the labour movement...
Unite Electrical Control Operators, ECOs, at Brighton, York, Paddock Wood, Raynes Park, Romford, Selhurst Road and York will be taking strike action alongside TSSA and RMT this month.
ECOs are responsible for managing and controlling the power supply to electric trains on the rail network.
Scotrail RMT members have voted down the company’s offer by 866 votes to 580.
The union’s leadership recommended rejection, but seemed a bit equivocal. There wasn’t a massive amount of campaigning either way. But with a lot of bothy talk, members swung to opposing the offer.
Workers were...
Organising meeting: 7pm, Wednesday 3 August
With the next Prime Minister highly likely to introduce severe new restrictions on the right to strike, the labour movement must organise to resist.
Free Our Unions will be holding an open organising meeting on Wednesday 3 August at 7pm, to discuss what...
The Disability News Service (a reliably good source of information on all matters concerning disabled people) has revealed a report that Thameslink is inaccessible to many disabled people, and that much of the rail network has the same issue.
Crucially, it points out that improvement to physical...
RMT members at Arriva Rail London, the TOC operating the London Overground network, are joining the fight on pay and conditions, after a 79.4% majority vote for industrial action on a turnout of over 80%.
Arriva Rail London's latest pay offer is 5%, which workers have rejected. It's great to see...
In the BBC hustings for the Tory party leadership (and our next Prime Minister), Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak were asked “Will you ban strikes on essential public services like the railways?" Both candidates gave a categorical “yes” to this question.
Liz Truss (the bookies’ favourite to win the...
A recent threat made at West Cheshire Trades Council not to support the local Labour MP because he hadn’t turned up to RMT picket lines was enough to get a promise from him to do so in future. The MP in question, Chris Matheson, also said that he didn’t agree with Sam Tarry being sacked.
A small...
Aslef has named another strike over pay, at nine TOCs, for 13 August, following up its forthcoming action on 30 July. The TOCs involved are Avanti West Coast, Cross Country, Arriva Rail London, Great Western, LNER, Greater Anglia, Southeastern, Hull Trains, West Midlands Trains.
It's good the union...
It’s been another excellent day of picketing across the country, as RMT members at Network Rail and mainline TOCs struck again in the dispute over pay, jobs, and conditions. TSSA members at Avanti West Coast also struck, joining picket lines at Euston and elsewhere.
TOCs were only able to run a...
Sam Tarry, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Buses and Local Transport has been sacked by Keir Starmer for attending an RMT picket line at Euston today. This follows threats of action against other shadow ministers who did the same during our three days of action at the end of June.
Here in...
Rail workers’ strikes are an integral part of what some are calling the “hot strike summer”. Here’s an overview of the calendar of action:
RMT members on the Churchill cleaning contract across three TOCs in the southeast strike again from 14-16 July.
RMT and Aslef members at Hull Trains struck...
TSSA has named strikes at Avanti West Coast, c2c, East Midlands Railway, CrossCountry, Great Western, LNER, and Southeastern on 18 and 20 August, coordinating with RMT's action on the same day. It has also named action short of strikes on West Midlands Trains, Northern, Greater Anglia, and...
Confusion reigned today, as the Labour leadership appeared to junk any commitment to renationalising the railway, before seemingly rowing back.
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport Lou Haigh recently told Aslef that Labour is absolutely committed to renaitonalising the railway. But today (25...
RMT has announced to reps and activists that it is freeing up £500k for hardship payments from its national dispute fund, which has been bolstered recently by public donations, which will be administered via branches.
This is welcome news. We've argued previously that a sustained strike needs...
The new edition of the printed Off the Rails bulletin is out now. This edition looks ahead to RMT and TSSA action on 27 July, and Aslef strikes on 30 July.
Click here to download the PDF, or click on the attachment link below.
If your printer struggles with collating/resizing the pages, the...
The media never tires of reporting, often inaccurately, on train drivers' salaries. It's true that drivers are paid relatively well, but many other workers involved in the national dispute aren't on those figures. And even for drivers, if you're supporting a family or paying a mortgage, the salary...
It's good that RMT has named a further strike in our national dispute for 27 July. Preparations are already underway to ensure lively and effective picket lines.
But striking for just one day, especially after an effective three-day strike in June, would be a step back. So let's put more dates on...
It’s great to see Aslef drivers at Chiltern, Great Western Railway, LNER, London Overground, Northern, Southeastern, TransPennine and West Midlands and have voted for strikes.
Overall drivers voted for strikes by a 9-1 majority, with turnouts as high as 92% . It’s a spectacular set of results from...
Aslef drivers on ScotRail have voted to accept a pay deal including a 5% increase, and various improvements on other issues such as rest day working, instructor pay, and maternity pay. The deal also includes a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies for five years. There’s also a longer term...
More than 6,000 TSSA members at Network Rail have voted for industrial action over pay, jobs, and conditions, potentially bringing them into battle alongside RMT members at Network Rail, and RMT, Aslef, and other TSSA members at the TOCs.
TSSA disaggregated its ballot into three sections, with...
Aslef ballots for action over pay and conditions for drivers at Arriva Rail London, Chiltern Railways, Great Western, LNER, Northern Trains, Southeastern, TransPennine Express, and West Midlands Trains close on 11 July. There's still time to vote yes and return your ballots!
Drivers at Avanti West...
Congratulations to RMT members at Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) for clearing the thresholds in their re-ballot, enabling them to join the national dispute.
Despite a huge majority for action, GTR members narrowly missed the (arbitrary) turnout threshold last time, further evidence of the...
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