Member Article

Rail union RMT confirms 'yes' vote for strike action by Hull Trains staff

Rail union RMT has confirmed that staff on Hull Trains have voted by nine to one for both strike action and action short of a strike in a dispute over the ‘unwarranted’ redundancy of a staff member.

The union says it believes the individual is being forced out of the company by underhand means for challenging a senior manager who was verbally abusing a colleague.

The dispute hinges on company claims that they have recently had to have a ‘necessary minor reorganisation’ which identified an individual as being at risk of redundancy.

The union’s negotiating team believes that the reorganisation was a ‘ploy’ to manage the union member out of the business and that management breached the job protection agreements to speed up this process.

Furthermore, at no time did Hull Trains inform the union, either at locally or nationally, that a reorganisation was taking place and that RMT members were at risk of redundancy.

The union executive will now consider the next steps in light of the overwhelming mandate for action.

The union is thought to have around 45 members at First Hull Trains, which employs 108 people.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “The union’s executive committee has considered this matter and deems Hull Trains’ failure to abide by the collective bargaining procedures as unacceptable.

“This union will not tolerate any member being removed from employment by underhand means.

“The company are riding roughshod over their own procedures and this has to be opposed in the strongest possible terms. “RMT has given Hull Trains plenty of time and opportunity to reinstate our member but they have chosen instead to adopt a cavalier and confrontational attitude.

“As a result of that hard-headed approach we have balloted for both strike action and action short of a strike.

“Our members have registered their anger in an overwhelming vote for action which will now be considered by the unions executive. “RMT remains available for talks.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .