More than 100 member of staff at East Midlands Railway face strike ballot over 'lack of pay offer'

Trade union Unite has announced plans to ballot workers employed by Abellio at East Midlands Railway for industrial action ‘after the employer refused to make a pay offer to the workforce’.

The union said it represented more than 140 cleaners, technicians, shunters, engineers, inspectors, lathe operators, team leaders and supervisors.at the company, who are based at depots in Nottingham, Derby and Leicester.

The ballot will open on September 2 and run until September 16. If workers vote for industrial action then stoppages are set to begin this autumn.

Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said: “What on earth are Abellio and the Department for Transport playing at. We are currently in the midst of the worst cost of living crisis in decades and between them they can’t make our members a pay offer?

“Unite is now entirely focussed on defending the jobs, pay and conditions of its members and it will be giving its total support to our members at Abellio during this dispute.”

Unite said Abellio, which owns EMR, has justified its failure to make an offer as it claims the DfT has not authorised it to make a pay offer to its workers.

Andy Shaw, Unite regional officer, said: “Members are balloting for industrial action as a last resort due to Abellio’s failure to make our members a pay offer.”

It is unclear how any strike action would affect EMR services.

EMR declined to comment.

It follows a series of national walkouts by rail workers in the RMT union in a row over pay and jobs.

On strike days, no services ran on the Robin Hood Line – linking Nottingham to Worksop, via Newstead, Kirkby, Sutton, Mansfield, Mansfield Woodhouse, Shirebrook and Langwith-Whaley Thorns – with many other routes operating a vastly reduced timetable.