NEXUS AND UNIONS FAIL TO AGREE OVER 35 HOUR WORKING WEEK (11/12/2003)

http://www.tyneandwearmetro.co.uk/news_det....asp?NewsID=356

A 24-hour strike on the Tyne and Wear Metro this Friday looks likely to go ahead after Nexus failed to agree with unions about reducing the working week from 37 hours to 35 hours.

This means that there will be no Metro services from 9pm on Friday, 12 December until first thing on Sunday 14 December 2003.

Nexus spent the day in talks with the unions (RMT/AMICUS/ASLEF and TGWU) and are disappointed that, while some progress was made, talks have broken down and that the Metro will now close from 9pm on Friday night for 24 hours.

One of the stumbling blocks was that the unions entered discussions on Wednesday, 10 December asking for an additional three days holiday each year without any means of cost reductions to pay for it.

The unions have demanded a 35 hour working week which, when agreed with ACAS last year, was made on the proviso that the 35 hour week would be at no extra cost to Nexus. The unions have failed to deliver that.

Ken Mackay, Director of Metro, said: "We are bitterly disappointed that we have failed to agree over this matter. We did not want a strike but it seems inevitable. Ultimately the proposals we put forward to the unions have been rejected by them.

"We did make additional proposals on Wednesday, 10 December but the additional demands made by the unions today cannot be met while the unions choose to ignore the ACAS agreement.

"There are no plans for further talks at the moment."