Latest news with #railworkers
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
British Transport Police cuts will endanger railway staff, union warns
The biggest rail workers' union is warning of cuts to the British Transport Police (BTP), saying they would 'seriously endanger' the safety of railway staff. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said the BTP was facing an £8.5 million funding shortfall this year which it warned could result in the closure of 13 police stations and the loss of hundreds of posts. The union said cuts would leave frontline rail staff exposed to rising levels of violence, harassment and anti-social behaviour. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: 'These cuts will severely impact the safety of rail workers and the travelling public. 'Station staff and train crews are being left to deal with violent and abusive passengers without adequate BTP support, often late at night, in isolated locations, and with no back-up. 'BTP's own figures show a sharp rise in crime across the network yet the response is to slash officer numbers, close stations and disband the very unit that dealt with workplace violence. It is both outrageous and dangerous.' RMT has launched a campaign to demand better protection for rail workers and safer travelling for passengers.
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
British Transport Police cuts will endanger railway staff, union warns
The biggest rail workers' union is warning of cuts to the British Transport Police (BTP), saying they would 'seriously endanger' the safety of railway staff. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said the BTP was facing an £8.5 million funding shortfall this year which it warned could result in the closure of 13 police stations and the loss of hundreds of posts. The union said cuts would leave frontline rail staff exposed to rising levels of violence, harassment and anti-social behaviour. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: 'These cuts will severely impact the safety of rail workers and the travelling public. 'Station staff and train crews are being left to deal with violent and abusive passengers without adequate BTP support, often late at night, in isolated locations, and with no back-up. 'BTP's own figures show a sharp rise in crime across the network yet the response is to slash officer numbers, close stations and disband the very unit that dealt with workplace violence. It is both outrageous and dangerous.' RMT has launched a campaign to demand better protection for rail workers and safer travelling for passengers.
The Independent
24-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
RMT warns any raise to state pension age will be met with direct action
The biggest rail workers' union has warned that raising the state pension age would be met with protests and direct action. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union said a government review had sparked fears of a big increase in the pension age. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: 'The UK state pension is already one of the worst in the entire developed world, which is a direct result of decades of governments transferring both our national and personal wealth to the super rich. 'Any decision to squeeze more out of working people by forcing us to work even longer would be a national disgrace.' He continued: 'Our members work in physically demanding, round-the-clock, safety-critical jobs. 'Many already struggle to reach retirement in good health, especially shift workers. 'Raising the pension age even further isn't just cruel and unnecessary, it's a slap in the face to the very people who keep this country running. 'If this government makes any move to drastically increase the retirement age, we intend to lead our movement onto the streets and will not hesitate to protest nationally and take co-ordinated direct action.'
Daily Mail
05-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Rail workers FINALLY end bitter pay dispute - what it means for the commute of millions of Aussies
A year of travel chaos across Australia's biggest train network caused by staff strikes is finally over. Rail workers have agreed to a new pay deal with the NSW government following months of industrial action, which caused many headaches for millions of Sydney commuters. The Electrical Trades and the Rail, Tram and Bus unions initially sought a 32 per cent pay rise over four years, and a 35-hour working week. Their negotiations with the NSW government stalled in January, sparking a mass strike which brought the Sydney rail network to its knees after 2,500 rail services were cancelled or significantly impacted over a two day-period. More than 90 per cent of RTBU members on Saturday voted to accept a 12 per cent wage increase over three years plus back pay. The deal will now progress to the Fair Work Commission for final approval. 'We want to acknowledge the period of protected industrial action was drawn-out and took its toll on rail passengers,' NSW Transport Minister John Graham said. 'Resolution of the matter will now allow Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink to focus solely on improving reliability and services for those more than a million passengers who use the network each day. Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland added: 'With this certainty, Sydney Trains can resume its focus on delivering a safe, reliable, and disruption-free service, and passengers can have renewed confidence that the trains they rely on will be there when they need them.' The RTBU also welcomed the move after a 'tough process'. 'It's fantastic that this long, and often bitter, dispute can finally be put behind us and that workers can get back to doing what they do best – moving commuters safely around the state,' union secretary Toby Warnes said.
News.com.au
13-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Electrical Trades Union seeks to block vote on train deal that ended months of Sydney strikes
The Electrical Trades Union is seeking to halt a vote on a new enterprise agreement for tens of thousands of rail workers after months of industrial action, claiming it was unfairly left out of 11th-hour meetings. The ETU broke with the Combined Rail Unions last month after the CRU, led by the Rail, Tram, and Bus Union, reached an in-principle agreement with the state government over Sydney and NSW Trains staff. The agreement is supposed to be put to a vote of union members following an order by the Fair Work Commission but could be delayed following an application by the ETU before the commission on Friday. Lawyers representing the ETU claimed during an hours-long hearing that neither Sydney and NSW Trains nor the RTBU had engaged in legally mandated good-faith bargaining during the final days of negotiations. The union, which represents electricians, claims it was excluded from a meeting in late May between the CRU and the state government, which later held three days of meetings with the ETU in early June. The meetings centred on two differences between the ETU and the RTBU that led to the ETU objecting to the pay deal, chiefly the restructuring of competency scales for trade-related staff, known as uplifting. The uplift was granted to 'non-trade' employees under the proposed deal, with the ETU seeking to have the same measure applied to electricians – something it claims is a longstanding desire of the ETU. The rail agencies and the RTBU object to the measure that they say was put forward after negotiations had ended, with Sydney Trains executive Fatima Abbas stating it would impact about 350 workers. The commission was told it wouldn't matter if the uplift cost '$1m or $100m', the rail agencies were not seeking to 'increase the package and consider it the final offer', their lawyer told the court on Friday. 'There are 13,500 employees that will be covered by this agreement. The majority of bargaining representatives support and agree to the final package. If the applicant refuses, the package will not change,' he said. RTBU lawyer Leo Saunders told the commission that the union claimed the ETU had 'excluded themselves' from meetings, and it hadn't put the uplift as a 'formal claim' previously. The possibility of a delay comes after months of negotiations and brinkmanship between the CRU and the RTBU and the state government, including rounds of industrial action and court orders. Following a cooling-off period mandated by the commission earlier this year, a breakthrough in talks came after a fallen wire at Strathfield sparked days of chaos across Sydney's rail network in May. The Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission will deliver their judgment at 4.30pm.
