Planned
walkouts

by
around
300
RMT
staff
on
Avanti
West
Coast which
could
have
seriously
disrupted
services
over
the
Christmas
and
New
Year
holiday

have
been
suspended,
after
the
employers
made
a
new
offer.

The
strikes
by
train
managers,
in
a
dispute
over
rest
day
working,
were
announced
for
22,
23,
and
29
December,
and
Avanti
had
been
planning
to
publish
revised
timetables
for
the
first
two
strike
days
tomorrow.

The
RMT
says
the
new
deal
includes
revised
and
enhanced
rest
day
working
payments,
the
creation
of
a
rest
day
working
allocation
agreement
and
discussions
over
a
new
technology
agreement.

The
affected
staff
will
now
decide
whether
the
revised
terms
are
acceptable,
and
the
union
is
seeking
their
views
by
running
a
referendum
which
will
close
on
17
December.

The
RMT
emphasised
that
although
the
strikes
have
been
suspended
while
the
referendum
takes
place,
its
dispute
with
Avanti
West
Coast
has
not
yet
been
resolved.

Avanti
West
Coast
said:
‘We
are
pleased
that
the
RMT
have
decided
to
suspend
these
strikes
which
would
have
caused
major
disruption
to
our
services
and
this
will
come
as
a
relief
to
our
customers
who
were
making
travel
plans
over
the
Christmas
period.
We
remain
open
to
discussion
with
the
RMT
and
await
the
outcome
of
the
referendum
where
Train
Managers
can
vote
on
this
offer.’