Wabtec Rail Doncaster: Workers set to strike over ‘fire and rehire’ row at former Mallard and Flying Scotman works

Members of Unite and the RMT unions employed by rail maintenance firm Wabtec in Hexthorpe will strike over ‘abhorrent’ fire and rehire plans.

Over 200 workers will take strike action on June 10, 11, 12 and 13. A second round of strike action will begin on 27 June and end on 3 July, with more strikes set to be announced.

The unions say that the US-owned firm is ‘bringing shame to Doncaster’, home of the Flying Scotsman, which was built on the site Wabtec operates from.

They add Wabtec is seeking to ‘fire and rehire’ the workers onto new contracts that will see ‘breaks cut and staff having to work extra hours, including at the end of their shift, for no extra pay’.

The company says talks to bring in flexible working have been going on for over a year and include a ‘substantial’ pay rise.

But unions say the firm is offering workers that sign the contracts a two-year below inflation pay rise. With inflation (RPI) running at 11.1 percent, they say this is a real term pay cut over two years.

The unions are advising staff who have been pressured by management during one-to-one meetings into signing the new contracts that they can still take action to fight the changes.

Wabtec has been contacted for comment on the planned strike action.

Wabtec is an international manufacturer and supplier of equipment for the railway industry. The workers at its Doncaster site maintain and repair rail stock, including carriages, wheels and bogies.

The strikes will impact services for a number of Wabtec clients including Angel Trains, VTG, Nacco Group, Freightliner KFA, GB Railfreight, DB Schencker and Siemens.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Shame on Wabtec. This company is the latest in the line of bad bosses seeking to use the abhorrent practice of ‘fire and rehire’ to attack workers and cut pay.

“Wabtec is trying to bully staff to sign up for markedly inferior wages and conditions. There is no way Unite will ever agree to that.”

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch added: “Wabtec has behaved appallingly from start to finish and wants our members to pay for the company’s financial problems by firing staff and rehiring them on inferior wages and conditions.

“Wabtec bosses should be ashamed of tarnishing Doncaster’s proud history of manufacturing, with predecessors building the Flying Scotsman and Mallard locomotives.”