Rail union reissues strike ballots after first vote misses legal threshold
The union TSSA has reissued ballots for strike action at four train operators after earlier votes didn’t reach the legal threshold for walking out.
The ballots will be held at West Midlands Trains, Greater Anglia, Northern and TransPennine Express from 28 July to 25 August.
The initial ballots gave the union a mandate for action short of strike, as the 40 per cent legal threshold was missed in some cases by 0.2 per cent.
“Re-balloting will make sure our members have the chance to restate their mandate for strike action and stop the Tories’ gerrymandering of their human right to withdraw their labour,” said TSSA’s boss Manuel Cortes.
“The clear wishes of our hard-working members will not be thwarted by draconian anti-democratic Tory legislation.”
The announcement comes as replacing striking staff with agency workers was made legal by the UK Government.
Approved by both Commons and Lords, the cross-sector changes will help ensure “crucial public services and people’s lives remain uninterrupted” by the strikes, City PM reported.