Cashing in: RMT boss Mick Cash’s “telephone-number” salary sparks outrage as Britain’s commuters face three-pronged strike attack August 11, 2016 The union boss at the centre of a three-pronged attack on Britain’s commuters and holidaymakers earned £137,344 last year, outraging MPs and grassroots campaigners. RMT general secretary Mick Cash received a near seven per cent increase in salary and pension in 2015, at £8,900, for leading Britain’s 15th largest trade union. By comparison, Len McCluskey, [...]
The RMT’s dangerous strikes are a cynical ploy to pave the way for rail renationalisation August 10, 2016 There is no general upsurge of industrial militancy in the UK: the latest figures show both numbers of stoppages and days lost to strikes remain low. The cluster of RMT actions – against Southern Railway/Govia Thameslink (now suspended), Virgin East Coast and Eurostar – will not be a harbinger of a new wave of damaging [...]
Three at 3: Three stories you need to read right now August 10, 2016 We’ve done the legwork for you, and put together the top three stories of the day in bite size form, just to make your life that bit easier. Time for a coffee break? Check out our three at three. Nay, Paris: Strikes galore There’s more bad news on the way, as RMT announced the latest [...]
Southern Rail strike called off to allow for fresh negotiations August 10, 2016 The strike on Southern Rail has been called off to allow for fresh negotiations to take place. Acas said that the strike had been called off but Southern said services could still be affected tomorrow. "Southern and the RMT are returning to talks tomorrow under the auspices of Acas. Strike action has been suspended for Thursday [...]
Mick Cash didn’t know this morning how many RMT members voted in the Eurostar strike. He only had to check his own website… August 10, 2016 A total of 55 votes were cast by RMT members in a ballot for strike action against Eurostar, 52 of which said they would be "prepared to take strike action". In a second vote, 48 of the 55 voted that they would be prepared to take "industrial action short of a strike". The information was listed under "ballot [...]
Business groups hit out at RMT’s Eurostar strike August 10, 2016 The business community has slammed a union behind the strike scheduled to take place on Eurostar. The RMT union has said its members will strike from 12 to 15 and 27 to 29 August, while TSSA members will strike on 14, 15, 28 and 29 August. The news comes after RMT said its members on Virgin [...]
The train journey between London and Norwich is about to get faster, with a £1bn order for new trains August 10, 2016 The crawl between London and Norwich is about to be turbo charged (or at least get a little speedier), after the government gave the East Anglia rail franchise back to Abellio. In a statement today the government said its decision will cut travel times between Liverpool Street and Norwich, Cambridge and Peterborough by an average of [...]
Rail union RMT announces more strikes – this time on the Eurostar August 10, 2016 Rail union RMT has announced more industrial action, with Eurostar workers set to strike over seven days this month, including the Bank Holiday weekend – over their work/life balance. RMT said this morning that Eurostar train managers would strike for four days from 12.01am on Friday 12 August until 11.59pm on Monday 15 August, with a [...]
Sick of the strikes? Job-threatening technology could lead to even more industrial disputes August 10, 2016 The strike bringing misery to thousands of commuters on Southern’s railway line may be merely the start of a wider trend of industrial action throughout the UK. The RMT union has got its tail up and yesterday declared that workers on the Virgin east coast mainline have voted in favour of walkouts, while passenger groups are [...]
Anger erupts as North Sea decommissioning contract goes to non-UK firm August 9, 2016 Anger erupted today after UK companies lost out to a Norwegian firm in a tendering process to decommission an oil platform in the UK North Sea. Unions urged policymakers in Holyrood and Westminster to ensure that the UK North Sea oil and gas industry benefits from an estimated £47bn which will be spent on decommissioning by 2040. It comes [...]