Prospect members working on the Elizabeth Line strike for first time

Prospect members working at Rail for London Infrastructure (RfLI), which operates the Elizabeth Line, are taking strike action for the first time in a dispute over pay. The action will take place from 0630 on 12 January until 0630 on 13 January.

Prospect members work in safety and maintenance on the line and will be taking action alongside colleagues in the TSSA who work mainly in signalling. It is likely that strike action will cause significant disruption to the line,  with no service at all on the central section between Paddington and Abbey Wood and reduced service elsewhere.

Prospect will also be commencing action short of a strike after strike action ends on 13 January up until the end of February. This will include an overtime ban, work to rule, and withdrawal of good will. Action short of a strike will lead to reduced inspection of track and equipment which would lead to  significant further disruption to service.

Rejected pay offer

Members rejected a 4% pay offer for 2022 which is well below current inflation. London Underground workers have received 8.4% as did MTR who operate the trains on the Elizabeth Line. This means pay rates for Prospect members working for RfLI are well behind equivalent roles in LU and other rail operators.

In a statutory ballot 94% voted for strike action with 92% voting for action short of a strike on a turnout well above the regulatory threshold of 50%.

Mike Clancy, Prospect general secretary, said:

“The Elizabeth Line is Britain’s best performing railway yet its workers are being treated significantly worse than equivalent workers on the rest of London’s network. This year’s pay increase is significantly lower than  London Underground, and that’s on top of already lower pay rates.

“Despite continuing talks there has been no substantive movement from the employer so our members have been left with no choice but to strike.

“The Elizabeth Line is bringing in substantial revenue so there is no reason why there can’t be some movement on pay.”