Troubles West Coast Rail Franchise Faces Strike Threat

The West Coast rail franchise which is caught up in a lot of trouble and chaos has

deepened further more after the unions have threatened to strike action amidst the uncertainty over their jobs as well as the working conditions.

The RMT rail union was of the view that the bitter tussle which is going on between the FirstGroup and the Virgin Rail over the franchise had actually left the staff as well as the passengers "without a clue" so as to who will be running the vital London to Scotland services from the month of December.

Sir Richard Branson, boss of the Virgin Rail is now seeking a judicial review of the decision of the Government to award a new 13-year contract to the FirstGroup for running the West Coast Mainline services.

If permission is given by a judge, a full legal inquiry can very much delay the handover of the franchise, leaving the members of the staff in limbo. When a rail franchise gets into different hands, the members of the staff are transferred to the new operator under the employment regulations that are known as TUPE. A proper legislation is designed in order to protect the terms and conditions of the employees when they change the employer.

With the new contract for the West Coast franchise that is not still unsigned, the RMT has given a warning that there can be "total meltdown" as the transfer of the members of the staff "cannot be done overnight".

This situation can become even more problematic if the Government takes a decision to temporarily re-nationalize the line in case the court proceedings delay a handover to the FirstGroup in the month of December. Get loans with extra cash at mutual loans Bob Crow, RMTs general secretary had to say that the fiasco over the award of the West Coast franchise has left both the staff and lso the travelling public without a clue so as to who will be running this key transport artery in little more than 10 weeks' time to come.

The union that is now making final preparations for a strike ballot is pushing for the permanent re-nationalisation of this line. AT present, the East Coast services are being operated by a state-owned company but will be getting returned to the hands of the private sector in next year when the franchise is re-let. He added that it is high time that the government takes some important step in this direction.

by: Beth jen

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