Train managers at under-fire rail operator Avanti West Coast are 'angry' at having their 'work life balance' ruined, a union said today ahead of scheduled strikes on Sunday.
Avanti has issued urgent advice to passengers ahead of tomorrow's industrial action, with one train per hour running on the day from London Euston to each of Manchester, Glasgow, and Liverpool.
Services to Liverpool, meanwhile, will go via the West Midlands - including calls at Coventry, Birmingham International, Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton - due to planned upgrade work by Network Rail between Rugby and Stafford. Avanti bosses said fans attending the Comic Con event in Liverpool on Sunday should find alternative transport owing to what they called 'limited journey options'.
The RMT union, in a statement issued on Saturday, said there was a 'continuing row over rosters', claiming Avanti were 'imposing rosters to prevent cancellations'. Trains that do run, added the union, are 'hugely overcrowded'.
The RMT said: "Avanti train managers are angry at having their work life balance ruined, with significant cuts to rest days and short notice changes to shift patterns. Morale is at an all time low and our members want to see their concerns addressed and a provide a decent service to passengers."
The union's general secretary, Mick Lynch, said: "Avanti's treatment of their staff is some of the worst we've seen in the industry and their overall mismanagement of the franchise is causing repeated cancellations for passengers.
"Avanti continue to operate with a siege mentality hoping that our members will simply give in. The truth is they need to negotiate rosters properly with our union and run the railway in a professional way. That seems a long way off and our industrial campaign will continue into next month."
It comes as railway workers have voted to continue taking industrial action in their long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions. The RMT said this week a fresh ballot of its members showed overwhelming support to carry on with action.
Under employment law, the union had to re-ballot its members six months after a previous vote. The RMT said the average turnout among its members in Network Rail and 14 train operating companies was 70.2 per cent with a 'yes' vote of more than 90 per cent. It means RMT members in these areas will be able to take strike action for potentially another six-month period.
Avanti West Coast, which has come under fire for reducing its trains between Manchester and London, although services are set to increase in early December, said it would 'operate a significantly reduced timetable' on Sunday, 20 November
The operator advised passengers to check before they travel and told them to expect longer journeys. Less frequent services and shorter hours of operation could result in busier trains, added a spokesman in a statement issued on Friday.
Barry Milsom, Executive Director of Operations and Safety at Avanti West Coast said: "We're disappointed by the RMT's decision to go on strike this Sunday. Our customers are facing another weekend of disruption and I would like to thank them for their continued patience and understanding.
"We all need to be working together for the long-term benefit of our people and customers. So, we ask RMT to engage in meaningful industry reform talks around modernising working practices and developing a railway fit for the 21st century."
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