Avanti West Coast workers to strike over Christmas

Avanti West Coast bid managers person voted to onslaught for 3 days implicit the Christmas period.

The RMT national said that walkouts person been scheduled for 22, 23 and 29 December for the London to Scotland work aft rejecting the bid company's proposals for "rest time moving arrangements".

Train managers usually enactment a four-day week but owed to unit shortages tin beryllium asked to enactment connected remainder days but the RMT said that the existent arrangements are "unacceptable".

A spokesperson for Avanti West Coast said that astatine "one of our busiest and astir important times of the year" customers "will present look important disruption due to the fact that of these strikes".

The strikes person been announced conscionable weeks aft the RMT accepted a backdated wage emergence of 5% from the Rail Delivery Group, the assemblage which represents bid companies.

But a quality remained implicit planned changes to moving practices and talks implicit aboriginal pay.

RMT wide caput Mick Lynch said: "Train managers are being treated unfairly compared to elder managers, who person important payments for covering these roles.

"Our members person had capable and this onslaught enactment demonstrates their determination to triumph a just deal."

Avanti West Coast said: "We are disappointed the RMT person voted to diminution the precise tenable connection made to them to resoluteness the remainder time moving quality and forestall inconvenience to those galore radical who volition beryllium travelling connected the West Coast Main Line implicit this time.

"We volition proceed to enactment with the RMT to resoluteness the dispute."