rail@bauermedia.co.uk
TRADE unions “need to use their power wisely”, TransPennine Express Managing Director Chris Jackson told a conference of stakeholders in Manchester on January 26.
He said that unions needed to “consider the impact that some of their decisions and approaches are having on the customer”.
He added: “I would describe the pendulum as skewed in one direction. It needs to be brought more central so that we can collectively make the right decisions in the interests of our customers who, ultimately, pay our wages. I think that’s a really important thing to remember.”
Jackson said that industrial relations felt “angsty” at a national level. He told the conference: “In my mind, I listed the disputes that have been or are currently ongoing with ourselves, but also with our partners.
“Hitachi, strike, next week. ASLEF, pay and conditions dispute, strike and action short of a strike, next week. RMT, we are in a live dispute about scanning of tickets. RMT, we’re in a live dispute which we are negotiating on in early February around pay and conditions. We have a ballot over an individual issue at Rail Gourmet. We had a ballot at Rail Gourmet recently that resolved it over pay. We have a ballot and a potential resolve with Bidvest Noonan over pay. The list goes on.
“I have never seen such a list. If you go round operators nationally, you will see similar lists. It’s very testing out there at the moment.”
He said that TPE needed to focus on what was in its control, but that traction was needed na
