Rail staff vote for strike action

A dispute over rosters has led to industrial action

Hundreds of senior conductors working for Central Trains have voted to strike in a dispute over rotas, their union has announced.

Staff belonging to the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will stage a one-day walkout on 24 February.

The union wants the introduction of a computerised rostering system scrapped.

Central Trains, which runs services in the Midlands as well as some trains to Liverpool, Stansted and Cardiff, said it was disappointed at the action.

RMT conductors have already taken three days of action - walking out at Christmas and New Year.

Pay threat

Initially, the conductors voted 235 to 89 to stop issuing tickets to passengers on Monday.

But the firm said it would dock workers' pay by up to 50% if this action went ahead.

We have not escalated this dispute at all Andy Thomas Central Trains

In response, the union suspended Monday's action and announced a one-day strike - claiming 550 workers would walk out.

RMT boss Bob Crow accused the company of making the situation "far worse" by threatening to cut workers' pay.

"The industrial action we had planned to start on Monday would have allowed Central to continue to operate trains," said Mr Crow.

"But once more they have shown that they are not in the least interested either in settling the dispute or in ensuring that passengers can travel."

'Sensible resolution'

Central Trains said they had put two deals to the RMT which were agreed nationally by the union, but rejected by local negotiators.

The firm's operations director, Andy Thomas, said they were committed to finding a "sensible resolution" to the dispute.

"We have not escalated this dispute at all - we have simply responded to every new industrial action the RMT has said that they will pursue and made every effort to keep services running for our passengers."

The firm said it would wait for confirmation of details of the strike before announcing the disruption passengers will face.

At the centre of the dispute is Crew Plan, a computer programme designed to manage the shift patterns of thousands of workers.

The system has been rolled out to nine of 15 depots to replace the former British Rail's paper system of rostering.

The union wants the system entirely scrapped, but the firm, which admits to some "teething problems", says all the information is now computerised and they "cannot turn back the clock".