Virgin Trains hit by industrial action
In a sign of the times it has been revealed that railway ticket office staff at Virgin Trains will take industrial action in the New Year over changes to working practices. Members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) have voted for a number of walkouts in the New Year with the union claiming that Virgin Trains is looking to reduce customer services in railway stations in favour of increasing profitability.
While the unions have held back on immediate industrial action so as not to hit the peak Christmas period, it is hoped that all parties will be able to renegotiate an agreement with the union fearing a 10% reduction in booking office staff numbers. The stations which will be hit by the industrial action, assuming a settlement cannot be reached, will include Euston, Watford, Milton Keynes, Rugby, Coventry, Birmingham International, Birmingham New Street, Wolverhampton, Stafford, Crewe, Manchester Piccadilly, Preston, Carlisle and Glasgow.
While the TSSA appear more willing to negotiate with employers than some of the better-known unions in the UK there is a growing fear that industrial action could increase in the short to medium term. The UK government will be hoping that the unions "play ball" in the short term because any industrial action will reflect badly on the Labour Party.
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