Unite members to join rail strikes

Members of Unite employed by Network Rail as electric control room operatives, will join other rail unions in taking strike action on Thursday, August 18 and Saturday, August 20.

The electric control room operatives play a crucial role as they are responsible for managing and controlling the power supply to the rail network.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham,“Our members played a crucial role in keeping the rail network functioning throughout the pandemic, ensuring that essential workers and goods could be transported. The thanks they get for their sacrifices from their employers is a derisory offer that amounts to a kick in the teeth

“Unite is entirely dedicated to defending the jobs, pay and conditions of its members. Our members at Network Rail will receive the union’s total support until this dispute is resolved and the workers receive a fair pay deal.”

The workers are based at the control rooms in Brighton, York, Paddock Wood, Raynes Park, Romford, Selhurst Road and York.

The workers have not received a pay increase for three years and are increasingly struggling to make ends meet due to the cost of living crisis.

Unite national officer Harish Patel added, “Strike action by Unite members will undoubtedly cause further disruption to the rail service but this dispute is entirely of Network Rail’s own making. Our members expect and deserve a pay rise which tackles the cost of living crisis that faces them.”

By Barckley Sumner