Rail bosses hold emergency talks after trains cancelled in Birmingham
RAIL bosses are today holding emergency talks with transport unions after a row over overtime pay caused chaos for thousands of passengers.
London Midland faced a barrage of criticism yesterday after it was forced to cancel all its trains, except those on the Birmingham to Liverpool line, because staff failed to volunteer to work.
Up to 45,000 passengers were thought to have been affected by the cancellation of services on the Birmingham-based firm’s network, which serves London, Birmingham and Liverpool and towns across the Midlands.
Drivers and conductors usually work on a voluntary basis on Sundays, but insufficient numbers agreed to work after a double-time shift-rate agreement came to an end. Today, talks will take place between London Midland, the drivers’ union ASLEF and the Rail Maritime and Transport Union, which represents conductors.
Lichfield’s Conservative MP, Michael Fabricant, called for the firm’s contract to be withdrawn. He said: “This failure of their service is unacceptable and breaches all the assurances and promises given to me and the Department of Transport on the future of their Sunday train timetable. Their contract should be withdrawn and be given to an alternative company.”
An agreement whereby drivers and conductors were paid double the normal rate on Sundays finished last weekend but RMT officials said workers were not taking organised action. General Secretary Bob Crow claimed it was simply a case of staff exercising their contractual right not to work on Sundays.
He added: “Many of our members will be working as rostered and if the company has staffing problems, it should sit down with us as a matter of urgency to resolve them.”
