COMMUTERS and other rail passengers could find major disruptions to their journeys if a strike goes ahead by managers at 19 main line stations, including London Liverpool Street.

Graham Dines

COMMUTERS and other rail passengers could find major disruptions to their journeys if a strike goes ahead by managers at 19 main line stations, including London Liverpool Street.

Leaders of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association said that its 400 Network Rail members at 17 stations are being balloted and industrial action could cause widespread disruption during the summer holiday season.

Members of the Rail Maritime and Transport union at 19 major rail stations could also take action.

The decision to call strike votes follows the breakdown of talks over harmonising pay and conditions following a reorganisation of staff at all of Network Rail's stations.

Manuel Cortes, assistant general secretary of TSSA accused the company of refusing to guarantee that there will be no compulsory job losses during the reorganisation.

Most railway stations in the UK are owned and staffed by the various train operating companies. But Network Rail retains ownership of London mainline termini and key hubs on the network including those in Leeds, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Birmingham.

A spokesman for Network Rail said: “We are proposing a reorganisation of our stations to make them more efficient and more passenger focused. Contingency plans are already in place to ensure all duties at any of our stations can and will be covered.”