RMT union forced to call off rail strike
The RMT union has today been forced to call off a planned strike next week which could have coincided with Gordon Brown calling the date of the next election. The strike has been suspended after a court ruling regarding alleged irregularities and the alleged unlawful nature of the strike action. This is a bitter blow to the RMT union and while Network Rail management may be feeling a little happier today it is likely we will see industrial action sooner rather than later.
As we covered in one of our earlier articles we had the bizarre scenario whereby Network Rail management were around the negotiating table with the RMT while at the same time placing papers before the High Court's suggesting that the strike was illegal and asking for it to be blocked. While there is no doubt that commuters and businesses will welcome the suspension of the planned four-day action it does nothing for relations between the union and the Network Rail management.
This is the latest in a long line of strike activity in the UK which will have an impact upon the UK recovery and the profitability of many operations throughout the country. Many fear that friction between management and unions can only get worse in the short term and many are predicting a very difficult 2010.
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