National strike planned by Hitachi Rail workers from this weekend

Journeys on London North Eastern- and Great Western railways will be heavily disrupted from next week due to strike action by workers at Hitachi Rail, Unite the union announced today.

Hitachi Rail workers are at depots in Bristol, Plymouth, Penzance, Wiltshire, Swansea, London and Edinburgh. The strike action is planned to run between January 27 until February 1 2024.  

More than 300 Unite members and further members of the RMT who work as technicians, maintenance crews and engineers at Hitachi Rail Ltd were offered a 5.5 or 6 per cent pay increase. The unions argue that these reflect a real-terms pay cut when inflation is taken into account. 

Unite says 'workers are unhappy at such a low pay offer in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis when they perform highly skilled roles that are safety critical for the railway industry.'

Commenting on the planned disruption, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Hitachi is making enormous profits in the UK and yet it is trying to short change our members with this real terms pay cut.

“These workers are highly skilled and perform a safety critical role and yet are being chronically undervalued by their employer. Hitachi need to know our members won’t stand for such penny pinching as they head to the picket line.” 

Hitachi Rail Limited made £104 million in profits according to its latest filings with Companies House. The pay anniversary for Hitachi workers was in April 2023, when RPI was 11.4 per cent.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "Workers at Hitachi Rail do a range of highly skilled work ensuring that trains and infrastructure are all working properly. However, bosses at the multi-million-pound company are undervaluing their own staff by being greedy and not offering a decent pay rise.

"This sustained action by Hitachi Rail workers will send a clear message to the company that we will not rest until we get a negotiated settlement on pay, that rewards our members sufficiently."

Unite regional officer John McGookin added: “Our members haven’t had a decent pay rise in years and yet Hitachi continues to rake in massive profits. It’s about time they gave its vital workers a fair share. The anger among Hitachi workers will be on display as they head to the picket line next week.”