GWR strike vote threatens rail disruption

Nation.Cymru staff

Rail services between south Wales and England could face disruption after Great Western Railway (GWR) staff voted to strike in a dispute over flexible working, pay and pensions.

The operator runs direct trains from London Paddington to Newport, Cardiff and Swansea, with some services continuing to Carmarthen. It also runs cross-border services linking Cardiff with Bristol and Bath.

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) said separate ballots across several parts of the business had shown strong support for strikes and other forms of industrial action. The union has yet to announce strike dates.

The dispute involves staff working in rostering, service delivery and performance strategy.

The union says staff should not lose out financially for working shifts and that clerical workers’ grades and pay should reflect their increased workloads.

TSSA general secretary Maryam Eslamdoust said: “Strike action and action short of a strike, which will have a real impact on services at GWR, are now inevitable unless the company addresses these perfectly legitimate demands.

“Likewise, for clerical grades, it’s simply not acceptable that they see their workloads increase without that reflecting both grading and pay.”

Ms Eslamdoust said the union remained willing to resume talks.

“Our union only uses strike action as a last resort so the ball is very much in GWR’s court,” she said. “We stand ready to get back around the table and talk at any time.”