Metro passengers warned of strike impact
- Published
No strike date has been announced
Metro passengers have been warned to brace for disruption after train engineers voted to go on strike.
About 50 staff employed by Stadler Rail at Metro's depot are set to walk out over what the Unite union claimed was a "miserable" 4% pay rise offer.
Workers are due to begin a ban on overtime working on Friday and have voted to strike, though dates for that have yet to be announced.
Operator Nexus said the network would not be closed but called for agreement.
'Well afford reasonable offer'
Unite regional coordinating officer Suzanne Reid said: "Our members are working harder and harder but their wages are worth less and less. The sheer number of extra hours worked to keep on top of the Metro maintenance means the overtime ban will cause disruption.
"This is entirely the fault of Stadler, which can well afford to put forward a reasonable pay rise but is refusing to do so. The company must table an offer our members can accept."
Stadler is constructing the Metro's £362m fleet of trains at its factory in Switzerland and a £70m new depot in Gosforth, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
Unite said the manufacturing giant had also offered staff a one-off £1,000 payment but that workers wanted a bigger uplift in their basic pay, with Stadler having reported profits of £119m in 2021 and record order figures.
'Find a resolution'
A spokesperson for Stadler said: "Two of our three trade union partners in Newcastle have voted to accept our 2022 pay offer, however, it is disappointing that 23 of the 45 Unite members have chosen to vote for strike action.
"We have demonstrated a genuine desire to reach an agreement and remain committed to this.
"We hope that Unite members will think carefully about industrial action, so that any disruption to our business can be avoided."
A representative for Nexus said: "We urge both sides to find a resolution to this dispute as soon as they can.
"We have been assured by Stadler that any industrial action will not impact on the services that we provide for our customers."
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