Network Rail in legal battle to prevent Easter holiday strike

Network Rail is preparing a legal challenge to prevent a series of rail strikes crippling Easter holiday travel.

Union bosses threaten to cause the worse disruption across the national network for 16 years.

A legal challenge could halt the strikes until after the general election.

Thousands of members of the RMT and TSSA will begin four days of industrial action from Tuesday 6 April, causing chaos for commuters on the first day back after Easter and thousands more returning from holidays.

Key signal staff will strike between 6am and 10am and between 6pm and 10pm on 6,7,8 and 9 April.

The union's 12,000 NR maintenance workers, and TSSA's 800 members working as supervisors, will stage an all-out strike from 6am on 6 April until 11.59pm on 9 April.

Gordon Brown is urging NR and the unions to settle the dispute over job cuts and changes to working conditions.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "Strikes are in nobody's interest, but the Prime Minister is of the view that he hopes that negotiations will continue and a resolution can be found."

The strikes have been timed to begin on the day the Prime Minister is expected to announce the election.

NR admits the strikes will cause "massive disruption" across the network. At best only one in five trains will run and many routes, including London commuter lines, will not have any service. Some trains will run on the Brighton to Victoria line as well as Javelin services into St Pancras International.

NR warned the RMT that a High Court challenge would be based on any irregularities in the ballot; the same ploy British Airways used to prevent 12 days of pre-Christmas strikes. Any challenge is likely to be successful. The union would then have to reballot more than 12,000 members — this would take weeks with the result not declared until after the election.

NR and the Prime Minister's office both denied any suggestion of pressure from No 10 to order a legal challenge.

But a senior source connected with the dispute said: "NR is under massive pressure to order the legal challenge to help save Gordon's bacon in getting the strikes postponed until after the general election."

NR's Robin Gisby said: "Passengers want more trains, starting earlier and running later, with fewer buses and more trains at weekends. To achieve this, NR needs to change the way the railway works. Britain's railway is safer than ever. The issue of safety is a smokescreen from a union leadership stuck in the steam age."

RMT leader Bob Crow said that before any agreement NR would have to prove job cuts and changes to working practices would not dilute safety, as well as give assurances there would be no compulsory redundancies.

"We don't want to spoil people's Easter holidays, or travel arrangements after Easter, but we have to sort out our members' real concerns," he said.
The unions say the cuts are all about saving cash — NR must cut spending by £4.5 billion by 2014.

RAILWAYS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Why is there going to be a rail strike after Easter?
Network Rail and the unions have fallen out over plans to alter the working practices of signallers and maintenance workers. Network Rail wants about 50 signallers in south Wales and east London to change from working three 12-hour shifts to four eight-hour shifts a week. The signalling staff, who earn an average of £48,000 with overtime, will be asked to do more night and weekend work to stop services being disrupted. In addition about 1,500 maintenance jobs will go because of mechanisation. The RMT and TSSA say that will compromise safety.

How will services be affected?
The disruption will be severe and widespread. Trains can run for a week without maintenance but without signallers the system will stop. Network Rail estimates up to 80 per cent of services will be cancelled.

How do I find out if my train will run?
Network Rail will publish a "strike special" timetable next week.

Could the strike be called off?
With more than a week to go, there is still plenty of time. But as BA has shown, at a time of high unemployment, unions are determined to protect members' jobs.

Will season tickets holders and those who have pre-booked get a refund?
Yes, if their service is cancelled. They have to apply to the operator or ticket retailer they bought it from.