Avanti passengers face disruption in fresh train strikes

Passengers travelling on Avanti West Coast trains face disruption as employees stroll out in an ongoing row over relaxation day working.

Rail managers who’re members of the RMT union are staging their second walkout this week, which can have an effect on commuters on their first day again within the workplace after the Christmas break.

In an interview with the PJ, the RMT’s basic secretary Mick Lynch claimed that prepare corporations have chosen to pay their very own managers “extortionate charges” for engaged on their days off, whereas those that are union members are paid decrease charges.

Avanti stated it was “disenchanted” by the strike motion, and suggested passengers to examine the small print of their final prepare dwelling.

On Thursday, Avanti will run one prepare per hour between London Euston and every of Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Crewe and Manchester.

It is going to additionally run a restricted service between Glasgow and Preston, whereas the primary and final trains throughout its providers could also be sooner than traditional.

North Wales, Blackpool and Edinburgh can have no Avanti West Coast providers on Thursday.

Following the deliberate industrial motion over the brand new yr, RMT members who’re prepare managers at Avanti West Coast are at the moment planning to strike every Sunday between 12 January and 25 Could.

“It’s wholly unacceptable that alternative managers could be paid round £500 per shift, about double what our Avanti members earn,” an RMT spokesperson stated.

They claimed that it was a repetitive and “damaging strategy”, saying it was a reported follow that rewards managers with “as a substitute of resolving disputes”.

“On the coronary heart of the issue is a critical employees scarcity, which is why there’s such a heavy reliance on extra time within the first place,” they added.

RMT members had initially deliberate to strike within the run-up to Christmas, however these plans have been known as off last-minute.

The union stated a revised proposal put to them was rejected by 83% of the 400 members concerned within the dispute, earlier than asserting new strike dates.

Avanti stated it remained open to working with the RMT to resolve the dispute.