Metro faces week-long strike amid engineers' pay row

An overtime ban at the Metro depot in Gosforth, Newcastle, began on Monday

Metro services could be crippled for a week if engineers go on strike in a pay dispute, union bosses warned.  

Staff at the depot in Gosforth, Newcastle began an overtime ban on Monday, amid a row with employer Stadler Rail.

Unite members are being balloted on an improved offer but officials have said that a week-long walkout will begin on 20 November if it is rejected.

Metro operator Nexus urged both parties to "get around the table".

If workers take to the picket line it could force the network to be shut down, in what would be another blow to public transport passengers already grappling with an indefinite Go North East bus strike.

Some of the new Metros were originally due to start operating before the end of 2023

Unite has accused Stadler, which is building the new trains but also has responsibility for maintaining its current 43-year-old stock, of failing to make staff a "fair" pay offer.

It claimed that Stadler had seen its own funding from Nexus, which is publicly-owned, increase by 13.4% this year but had not passed that uplift on to the engineers.

However, the Local Democracy Reporting Service has seen an email from Nexus which states that Stadler has in fact only received a "very small" increase in the fee paid to it.

The current fleet of Metros are 43-years-old and regularly developing faults

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Stadler received an above inflation increase in funding from the Nexus transport group which is publicly-funded. Yet it is refusing to offer a decent pay rise to our members who do highly skilled and safety critical work."

The ballot on Stadler's improved pay offer is due to close at midday on Thursday.

The Swiss manufacturing giant said that it had a contingency plan which will mean the overtime ban will leave the Metro timetable "unaffected", but it is understood that an engineers' strike would pose a significant risk of the network being unable to operate.

"Constructive talks have taken place and we have made an improved pay offer for them to put to their members," a Stadler spokesperson added.

Nexus said it would let customers know if there was going to be any disruption.