A rail strike for Christmas

Thousands of commuters face 24-hour rail strikes over Christmas and the New Year in a row over pay and the demotion of a leading union activist, it was revealed today.

Greg Tucker, Waterloo-based branch secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport union, a prominent figure in the "red waistcoats" strikes earlier this year, has been removed from his £30,000-a-year job as a train driver by South West Trains after alleged "repeated safety related incidents."

He remains employed by the Stagecoach-owned company but in a much lower-paid position inspecting tickets. Another union official, train guard Mick Skiggs, has also been disciplined for an alleged - but different - safety related incident.

Both deny the charges and are taking the matter to industrial tribunals - the RMT claims admitted activists are being "victimised" by SWT.

Now the RMT is to hold two separate strike ballots, both calling for industrial action, over the pay and staff disputes. Ballot papers will be sent to more than 3,000 SWT employees next Wednesday and the result declared on Monday, 17 December. The union expects an "overwhelming" majority in each case backing the strike call.

The RMT must, by law, give seven days' notice of any action, which means that the first stoppage could take place the following Monday - Christmas Eve.

Phil Bialyk, the union representative for SWT who is standing for election as leader of the RMT after the death of Jimmy Knapp, said: "We are ruling nothing out at this stage."

Andrew Haines, SWT's managing director, said: "Our passengers have had a miserable year made worse by a strike over waistcoats. The last thing they want now is a Christmas present from the RMT of another walkout."

SWT, in area the largest franchise in the UK, carries nearly 400,000 passengers a day with half of those using local and longdistance routes into mainline Waterloo.

The train drivers' union Aslef is not involved in the dispute but the RMT, whose members include train guards, station and ticket staff, has the power to cause considerable and widespread disruption.

Under the regulations, a train equipped for use with a guard cannot operate-without one. On pay, the RMT has turned down two offers - one of 3.8per cent over 18 months which would rise depending on productivity agreements, and a flat four per cent with "no strings" over 12 months.

The RMT says it wants the same rise that SWT drivers received this year, which amounted to a total of 7.6 per cent.

SWT says that it cannot afford this and that the drivers' increase this year - which was paid in two increments in a deal covering 18 months - was a "special case" to retain essential staff and compete with the rates which rival companies are offering.

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