XC Industrial Action from 23rd August onwards…

[ValentaFan1974]

Just a heads up - RMT have announced 2 strike dates for August, coinciding with the bank holiday weekend, plus action short of a strike based on not checking electronic tickets. No overtime ban as yet:

BREAKDOWN IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS – CROSS COUNTRY

www.rmt.org.uk

Our Ref: BR2/14/2



6th August 2025





Dear Colleague

BREAKDOWN IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS - CROSS COUNTRY​

Firstly, I would like to congratulate you and your colleagues again for returning a splendid result in the ballot for industrial action. The union's National Executive Committee has considered the matter and has taken the decision to call on all our Cross Country members to take the following strike action:



Members are instructed not to book on for any shifts that commence between:

• 00.01 hours until 23.59 hours on Saturday 23rdAugust 2025
• 00.01 hours until 23.59 hours on Monday 25thAugust 2025

Additionally, the union's National Executive Committee has called the following industrial action short of a strike:

• No electronic scanning of tickets from 00.01hours on Sunday 24th August 2025 until further notice

To comply with legal advice the above industrial action short of a strike will be suspended for the duration of the strikes but will commence again immediately after the strike action has concluded.



This dispute is about protecting the future of your jobs, the protection of negotiated agreements and the right of your Union to represent you effectively.

STAND FIRM TOGETHER AND

SUPPORT THE INDUSTRIAL ACTION​

I will, of course, keep you fully advised on any further developments.

Yours sincerely,

Eddie Dempsey
General Secretary

 

[trainophile]

Bank holiday weekend .

 

[Bletchleyite]

This is very curious - normally a strike is for specific things e.g. pay, a safety issue etc - how is "a breakdown of industrial relations" to be resolved exactly?

 

[Zerothebrake!]

By turning up for meetings?

 

[43066]

Suggested before (by people who work there) that this was prompted by the company not keeping to various agreements. It’s unlikely anyone will be in a position to say much more than that, unless anyone working for XC wishes to divulge more detail.

 

[Surreytraveller]

This is very curious - normally a strike is for specific things e.g. pay, a safety issue etc - how is "a breakdown of industrial relations" to be resolved exactly?

Depends what has broken down. Perhaps they're not adhering to existing agreements, or unwilling to discuss changes to agreements.
Or nitpicking or not allowing things which have always been allowed due to custom and practice

 

[fodphil]

By not riding rough shod over negotiated agreements

 

[Snow1964]

Very strange the not checking electronic ticketing, does that mean they insist on still checking paper tickets, (and using pad and pen to write out penalty fares)

Sort of seems like an invitation to XC to do a TfL and insist on paper tickets until action short of strike finishes.

 

[OscarH]

No electronic scanning of tickets from 00.01hours on Sunday 24th August 2025 until further notice

While it's not the big news here for passengers, urgh...

Given the already abysmal scanning rates across the country, this is the last thing we need

 

[eastcoast77]

Not exactly surprising given the new XC head of industrial relations is Ex-Amazon!

Not checking tickets is usual though... didn't know that was something they were allowed to. Wonder if LNER will be deploying more revenue staff at their stations a result - especially for the short hops like Darlington and Durham to Newcastle... that's leakage them and TPE would be loosing too.

 

[Fokx]

Very strange the not checking electronic ticketing, does that mean they insist on still checking paper tickets, (and using pad and pen to write out penalty fares)

Sort of seems like an invitation to XC to do a TfL and insist on paper tickets until action short of strike finishes.

It's not a ban ln checking electronic tickets, they simply won't be scanned.

A visual check would take place instead.

 

[ValentaFan1974]

It's not a ban ln checking electronic tickets, they simply won't be scanned.

A visual check would take place instead.

Which means if the purchaser gets on and off at a station where there is either no barriers or they’re open, they can get a refund.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Which means if the purchaser gets on and off at a station where there is either no barriers or they’re open, they can get a refund.

Only to a point. Do it too often and they tend to start noticing and sending out whacking settlement offers. I don't doubt that XC will be paying special attention to this while the action is going on.

 

[ValentaFan1974]

It’s been discussed on here already, including reneging on an agreement on 3p a scan for tickets. Other agreements have also been ignored.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Aug 2025 ==

Very strange the not checking electronic ticketing, does that mean they insist on still checking paper tickets, (and using pad and pen to write out penalty fares)

Sort of seems like an invitation to XC to do a TfL and insist on paper tickets until action short of strike finishes.

Only to a point. Do it too often and they tend to start noticing and sending out whacking settlement offers. I don't doubt that XC will be paying special attention to this while the action is going on.

Agreed. However most TM’s just won’t check any tickets from this point and if it becomes common knowledge then you’ll work out what happens next…

 

[185]

I hear a big one is managers being paid exorbitant amounts to cover vacant Train Manager turns, whilst at the same time the management being accused of lining their own pockets by deliberately impeding workforce planning attempts to get train manager numbers back to normal.

More vacant roster lines - more at risk trains - more cash to those managers qualified to cover TM work in contingency circumstances.

Could be a conspiracy theory, but its fairly credible.

 

[Russel]

Agreed. However most TM’s just won’t check any tickets from this point

So business as usual then.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Forgive me if it’s a silly question, but I’m wondering why any bonus (3p or otherwise) should be justified for scanning an electronic ticket - surely that’s just doing the day job? If I get asked to perform a specific task in the normal course of my work day, I don’t expect a salary enhancement?

 

[jamiearmley]

So business as usual then.

You can only say what you see. So yes, I guess.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Aug 2025 ==

Forgive me if it’s a silly question, but I’m wondering why any bonus (3p or otherwise) should be justified for scanning an electronic ticket - surely that’s just doing the day job? If I get asked to perform a specific task in the normal course of my work day, I don’t expect a salary enhancement?

Agreed. It's a nice to have, however.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Clearly!

 

[Class 170101]

I hear a big one is managers being paid exorbitant amounts to cover vacant Train Manager turns, whilst at the same time the management being accused of lining their own pockets by deliberately impeding workforce planning attempts to get train manager numbers back to normal.

More vacant roster lines - more at risk trains - more cash to those managers qualified to cover TM work in contingency circumstances.

Could be a conspiracy theory, but its fairly credible.

Do Managers really want to cover trains? The day job still has to be done at some point.

 

[styles]

Forgive me if it’s a silly question, but I’m wondering why any bonus (3p or otherwise) should be justified for scanning an electronic ticket - surely that’s just doing the day job? If I get asked to perform a specific task in the normal course of my work day, I don’t expect a salary enhancement?

I would generally agree, but if it was an advertised benefit before (contractual or not), and it's now being removed, that's an effective reduction in staff pay, which is something I would expect my union to stand up against.

 

[bluesfromagun]

I believe the payment for scanning tickets is not unusual in the industry. The change to e-ticketing brought about an extra duty, i.e. use of additional electronic equipment - and extra duties mean extra money, however simple they may be.
It may seem bonkers to some but the reality is that if they don't pay a premium for the extra duties, staff will generally just not undertake said duties.

 

[styles]

I believe the payment for scanning tickets is not unusual in the industry. The change to e-ticketing brought about an extra duty, i.e. use of additional electronic equipment - and extra duties mean extra money, however simple they may be.
It may seem bonkers to some but the reality is that if they don't pay a premium for the extra duties, staff will generally just not undertake said duties.

I don't know if this is actually the reason for the strike/dispute; but if this were true, I don't think passengers would support the strike action. It's the same 'duty', just with a computer to assist. I could understand if there was suspicion of a significant bug or delay caused by the software on the scanners, but that's a bit different to merely saying well my contract mentioned checking tickets but never mentioned using a scanner to check tickets so that's 'extra duties'.

 

[43066]

Forgive me if it’s a silly question, but I’m wondering why any bonus (3p or otherwise) should be justified for scanning an electronic ticket - surely that’s just doing the day job? If I get asked to perform a specific task in the normal course of my work day, I don’t expect a salary enhancement?

Historically commission was paid on tickets sold and the move to e tickets etc. has reduced this (potentially by a few thousand per year, so an effective pay cut). It’s also completely normal for bonuses to be paid to incentivise performance in all sorts of other roles/industries.

The difference between a guard doing just enough checking to not be seen as underperforming, and doing as much as they can in order to be paid more, is likely to be substantial.

Irrespective of the whys and wherefores, if something has been agreed and management don’t follow through, that is going to lead to a dispute in itself.

I don't know if this is actually the reason for the strike/dispute; but if this were true, I don't think passengers would support the strike action. It's the same 'duty', just with a computer to assist. I could understand if there was suspicion of a significant bug or delay caused by the software on the scanners, but that's a bit different to merely saying well my contract mentioned checking tickets but never mentioned using a scanner to check tickets so that's 'extra duties'.

From what’s been said, it isn’t the main issue. It sounds as though a number of grievances have been allowed to fester.

 

[ValentaFan1974]

The reason for the dispute is multifaceted….

BREAKDOWN IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS – CROSS COUNTRY

www.rmt.org.uk

 

[Snow1964]

The reason for the dispute is multifaceted….

BREAKDOWN IN INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS – CROSS COUNTRY

www.rmt.org.uk

I love the way RMT say "... refusal to engage in meaningful collective bargaining..."

Not won't do collective bargaining, just sounds like throwing toys out of pram, not getting their way, in RMTs version of meaningful (benefitting their side, rather than mutual benefits).

When I did an Industrial relations course at University, (40 years ago at height of miners strike), collective meant both sides getting gains, not one dictating one sided gains. The letter is very unbalanced in this.

 

[snookertam]

I don't know if this is actually the reason for the strike/dispute; but if this were true, I don't think passengers would support the strike action. It's the same 'duty', just with a computer to assist. I could understand if there was suspicion of a significant bug or delay caused by the software on the scanners, but that's a bit different to merely saying well my contract mentioned checking tickets but never mentioned using a scanner to check tickets so that's 'extra duties'.

I don’t think any traincrew would care whether passengers support the strike or not.

 

[styles]

I don’t think any traincrew would care whether passengers support the strike or not.

I think even most people who strike want the public to support their strike.

 

[43066]

I think even most people who strike want the public to support their strike.

They might prefer that they do, but it ultimately makes no difference either way.

I’d imagine most members of the public would expect their own employers to act in good faith and uphold agreements in the workplace.

 

[Moonshot]

What agreements are XC not adhering to?