The Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has announced strike action against another train operator, with a four-day walkout on Eurostar services from Friday (12 August) and a further strike later this month.
The union said the strikes are part of a long-running dispute the company ‘on the work/life balance of safety-critical train managers’.
RMT members will strike from Friday until midnight on Monday (15 August) and then for a further three days, from on Saturday 27 August until Monday 29 August.
The RMT said the dispute centres on Eurostar’s failure to honour an agreement from 2008, 'which sought to ensure that train managers could expect a good work-life balance in terms of unsocial hours and duty rosters'.
The union said members had voted 95% in favour of strike action ‘on the basis that Eurostar had failed to honour their commitments and the fact that work-life balance was being repeatedly undermined’.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: ‘Our train manager members at Eurostar have a heavy commitment to shift work and unsocial hours and are sick and tired of the company’s failure to honour agreements.
‘Our members have every right to have a fair work/life balance that fulfils the operational needs of the company while guaranteeing quality time off for friends and family. It’s now time for Eurostar to come to the negotiating table with a set of proposals that honours our agreements and guarantees our members a genuine work-life balance.’
A spokesman for Eurostar said: ‘We are aware of the plans for strike action and our focus has been seeking a joint resolution while planning to provide a good service for our customers. On the days of the strike we have made some small changes to our timetable to ensure that all passengers booked to travel will be able to on those days. Passengers affected will be notified in advance.’
The RMT is in also currently in dispute with train operator GTR over both ticket office closures and the role of guards and with Virgin Trains East Coast.
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