Station staff threatened with disciplinary action for ticket office campaign

Railway staff are being told to stop wearing "save our ticket offices" stickers or face disciplinary action, RMT understands

26 Jul 2023| News

The RMT union is currently encouraging the public to sign petitions and take part in consultations to prevent 1000 ticket office closures.

RMT has warned that it will escalate its industrial response to any threat to dock pay or discipline staff for campaigning to save their jobs.

Writing to train operator LNER, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch wrote:

“I have received very disturbing reports this morning from members at your company who are being threatened by managers with disciplinary action and being sent home without pay as a result of them wearing “save our ticket offices” stickers.

Threatening staff who are fighting for their very futures and for the services they provide in this way is a quite disgraceful tactic to use and I can advise you that any moves to discipline any RMT member for having a simple statement on a sticker will be met with a full industrial response.

If a genuine and meaningful consultation process really is to be followed in this process, then surely this would include allowing the very staff whose future employment is threatened to voice their opinions.

I would therefore ask that any disciplinary threats are withdrawn and that you will assure your staff their democratic right to have their opinion heard on this extremely important matter will be respected.

I look forward to hearing from you on this as a matter of extreme urgency.”

RMT has also received reports from members Northern, Greater Anglia and GTR where rail bosses have interfered with campaigns and removed materials from stations.