A rail union has cancelled planned industrial action on November 3 out of respect for the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Day. Thousands of members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association were due to strike in Network Rail, Avanti West Coast and South Western Railway.
TSSA members in Greater Anglia and Great Western Railway were due to take action short of a strike on the same day. Poppy Day falls on November 3 this year and is a major fundraising event.
TSSA interim general secretary Frank Ward said, “Once we became aware of Poppy Day and the impact our industrial action could have on Royal British Legion’s fundraising, we took the decision to call off our action.
“However, we will still be taking industrial action on dates from November 4 to 8, with action short of a strike taking place throughout November in some rail companies. Our members do not take industrial action lightly.
"It is high time train operators got round the table with us and negotiated a fair solution.” TSSA members involved in the action include staff working in ticket offices, stations, control rooms and other support roles across Britain.
TSSA is seeking a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies, a pay rise which meets the cost-of-living crisis and no unagreed changes to terms and conditions. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union has also rearranged a strike planned for November 3.
