East Midlands Trains cancels all services to Liverpool today as RMT industrial action bites

East Midlands Trains have been forced to cancel all of their services to Liverpool today and are restricting other services across the weekend as industrial action by RMT members in a long-running dispute over a breakdown in industrial relations hits home. Following a massive “yes” vote in an RMT ballot for industrial action in response to a comprehensive breakdown in industrial relations between East Midlands Trains and the union, RMT began a programme of measures last Saturday:

• 1. Not to work any overtime
• 2. Not to work any rest days
• 3. Not to perform any additional duties outside your job description and terms and conditions of employment
• 4. When rostered on spare turns only to work turns or duties within the parameters laid down in your terms and conditions of employment.
• 5. Only to work agreed rostered hours and rostered turns of duty only.

RMT has a number of issues unresolved, and with the company refusing to engage the union in meaningful talks there was no option but to ballot. The issues are:

• Management’s intransigent approach to the Nottingham Engineering Blockade, representing a total failure to consult with the union over works which are not, as claimed, an emergency situation but in fact a long time planned engineering project.
• The unilateral ripping-up of procedural agreements by East Midlands Trains.
• The unilateral ripping-up of agreed conditions of service agreements and the attempted imposition of rosters without negotiation.
• The continued intimidation, bullying and harassment of RMT member in clear breach of the company’s policies.
• Victimisation of RMT representative Sister Ruth Strong.

Despite the efforts of RMT representatives to tackle these matters through the machinery of negotiation, they remain unresolved. The company has taken a deliberately aggressive attitude and is not showing any signs that progress can be made through the normal channels, forcing the union to take action.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: "East Midlands trains said the RMT action would have no impact and yet here they are scrapping entire services this weekend as the action hits home. They should stop misleading passengers and start talking with the union about the measures needed to resolve this dispute. “The industrial relations climate on East Midlands has sunk to a new low with the company attempting to bulldoze through changes off the back of an engineering blockade which has been planned over the long term and is now being dressed up as a bogus emergency to try and justify ignoring procedures and ripping up working agreements. “There is also a culture of bullying, harassment and victimisation that RMT will not allow to continue. The union remains available for talks aimed at securing agreement but the company should be in no doubt as to the level of anger that their actions have generated amongst RMT members.”