Catering services on TransPennine Express train services will be disrupted tomorrow, Friday, 13th October because of strike action by catering staff who are members of the RMT union.
The strike action is being taken because of the union's claim of poor pay, pensions, and sick pay. TransPennine Express does not employ the staff directly but contracts the work out to Rail Gourmet. However, RMT members who are employed by Rail Gourmet have poorer terms and conditions and lower pay than colleagues who are directly employed by TransPennine Express.
Last year, Rail Gourmet made profits of £1.4 million, but until now the company has refused to meet the expectations of its staff in terms of a pay offer.
In August, RMT members employed by Rail Gourmet staged a two-day strike over their claim for better pay, pensions, and sick pay.
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “The continuing intransigence by Rail Gourmet bosses is unnecessarily prolonging this dispute.
“Our members remain determined to continue their industrial campaign until they achieve justice on pay, sick pay and are awarded a decent pension.
“TransPennine Express as the company that contracts out its catering services needs to step in and pressure Rail Gourmet to deliver on our members' demands.”
Mick Lynch just loves his job of stirring up discontent among rail workers of any kind.If a dispute gets settled you know for a fact there will be another strike along soon after.
He keeps saying they don’t want to keep striking and the government aren’t listening, yet other unions have accepted the offers and called off strike action,ots getting ridiculous now,my job means I have to rely on rail travel it’s not the government they are hurting it’s the commuters and themselves the are hurting
The problem is it is the government and southeastern people who are in vold in this and the closer of ticket offices southeastern are losing thousands of pounds every time there’s a strike on the staff haven’t had a pay rise with in 4 years I don’t blame the staff it’s not fair on the staff by not giving them a pay rise
Will anyone really notice, never see a trolley service on TPE service anyway.