Labour Research (July 2015)

News

Industrial news

Steel unions Community, Unite, GMB and UCATT have suspended industrial action at Tata Steel, after the employers tabled a revised offer which would keep the British Steel pension scheme open.

Members of the four unions had voted for action after the company announced the closure of the scheme and initially refused to discuss alternative union proposals.

The unions will now ballot their members on the new deal and are recommending acceptance. A one-day strike had been planned for 22 June.

Meanwhile, although a planned national strike at Network Rail was called off following a revised pay offer, the RMT rail union remains in dispute with a number of employers across the UK’s fragmented rail and maritime networks.

Members at CalMac, which runs the Clyde and Hebrides network, voted for both strike action and action short of a strike in a ballot in June in a dispute over jobs, pensions and working conditions.

The union also began balloting engineering grade members at Southern Rail following a comprehensive breakdown in industrial relations with the company.

And members at First Great Western were being balloted in a dispute over the threat to jobs and safety from the introduction of new Hitachi Inter-City trains.

In separate disputes, RMT members employed as conductors by Transpennine Express, and as cleaners and maintenance staff on Merseyrail stations for contractors Lorne Stewart, took strike action in June in support of colleagues they claim were unfairly dismissed.

www.community-tu.org/who-we-are/news/tata-steel-industrial-action-temporarily-suspended.aspx

www.rmt.org.uk/news/rmt-members-vote-for-action-at-calmac

https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/engineers-on-southern-rail-to-be-balloted-for-action

https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/rmt-confirms-timetable-for-ballot-for-action-on-fgw

https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/rmt-confirms-strike-dates-on-trans-pennine-express

www.rmt.org.uk/news/lorne-stewart-staff-on-merseyrail-to-strike


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