Emergency plans are being drawn up to try to keep passenger and freight trains running and prevent empty supermarket shelves after unions warned of “potentially the biggest railway strike in modern history”.
The National Union of Railway, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) voted with 40,000 members for the industrial action, which according to network sources said would create “serious challenges” in the movement of goods and loaded supermarket shelves.
The vote, which is due to end on Tuesday, includes employees of Network Rail and 15 companies operating trains. RMT said action is being taken on pay, mandatory cuts and safety concerns.
The Times reported that the plans under consideration include giving priority to freight trains over passenger services. It also applies to senior railway officials, who say there may be times when the rails are reserved for goods only.
A source quoted by the newspaper said: “There is an awful lot of work going on behind the scenes, including what the schedule might look like. One possibility is hours of the day when only freight services work.
The shift of goods from rail to road is not a solution given the shortage of truck drivers.
Transport Secretary Grant Shaps will meet with the prime minister and chancellor next week to discuss the threat, as fears are growing in Whitehall that the action could be worse than leaving junior doctors in 2015, the paper added.
RMT also said it intended to vote for members in Scotland on strike action after what it described as a ridiculous offer of 2.2% pay and proposed changes to the schedule, which it called a “kick in the teeth” of workers.
The union of the Transport Employees Association has warned of a summer break unless pay disputes are resolved.
Union Secretary-General Manuel Cortes said many members had not seen a pay rise in two years.
“If the Ministry of Transport, train companies and Network Rail do not come out very soon with the proposed wage increases that at least correspond to inflation, our railways will face a summer of discontent,” he said.
RMT Secretary General Mick Lynch said: “Railway workers have had to contend with wage freezes, the prospect of losing their jobs and repeated attacks on their conditions.
“The removal of 2,500 safety-critical jobs from Network Rail will be a disaster for the public, make accidents more likely and increase the ability of trains to derail.
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Voting will be among the members of RMT in the network of railway lines and Chiltern Railways, Cross Country Trains, Greater Anglia, LNER, East Midlands Railway, c2c, Great Western Railway, Northern Trains, Southeastern Railway, South Western Railway, Island Line, GTR ( including Gatwick Express), Transpennine Express, Avanti West Coast and West Midlands Trains. The results will be announced at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.
Tim Schoveler, Regional Director of Network Rail, said: “We are disappointed that RMT has made this decision and we urge them to work with us again, not against us, as we build an accessible railway line suitable for the future … change, which would make the railway less safe. “
A DfT spokesman said: “By reducing the number of passengers and sustaining the lives of our railways, we must act to make them fit for the future. We want a fair deal for staff, passengers and taxpayers so that money is not taken away from other basic public services such as the NHS.
“The unions must talk to us about the proposals before they cause irreparable damage to our railways, and strikes must be the last resort, not the first.
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