Train services from Bristol Temple Meads are expected to be "severely disrupted" in October as staff at GWR join thousands of UK railway workers walking out over pay. Hundreds of engineers who work for GWR are planning to join workers across the country taking part in industrial action. Workers union Unite said around 350 of its members who work for the train operator will join the protests on October 1.
Unite said its members who work for GWR were facing the third year of having their pay frozen. GWR’s parent company, First Group, made pre-tax profits of £654m in the 2021-2022 financial year. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “For years, the wages of our Great Western Railway members have failed to keep up. With rocketing prices, the value of their pay is now falling even further behind.
“Great Western Railway and its owners First Group can absolutely afford to pay a decent rise – it is simply unacceptable that they are refusing to do so while sitting on such enormous profits. They need to put forward an offer that reflects the rising cost of living for GWR workers.” As well as the Bristol depot, GWR Unite members in London, Exeter, Tiverton, Plymouth, Swindon, Swansea, Reading, Penzance and Oxford will also be going on strike. If the dispute is not resolved then more strikes will be scheduled, Unite said.
