23 February 2009
Leaders of the TSSA union are inviting 7,000 Network Rail staff
to vote on a series of 24-hour strikes over pensions. The ballot
which closes on the 23rd March is likely to be endorsed by union
members with the first strikes likely to take place at the
beginning of April.
According to Gerry Doherty who is the TSSA General Secretary,
Network Rail is effectively trying to introduce a two-tier pension
scheme where they are asking older British Rail staff to pay more
to ensure their present final salary scheme continues but new
recruits are banned from the scheme for five years and are then
offered inferior benefits to long serving staff, which he says is
unfair and unacceptable.
