London Midland train conductors abandon strike ballot
Train conductors on London Midland have abandoned a ballot over strike action after what a union called "a major victory".
Senior union representatives had confirmed that London Midland stopped using security contractors on Monday, and the company has reportedly written to the RMT confirming the position.
That has led the RMT to cancel the ballot, which could have led to strike action on the service.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "This is a massive victory for our members on London Midland who have supported the union 100 per cent throughout this campaign. That solidarity has been instrumental in the breakthrough secured today.
"RMT remains eternally vigilant in the on-going fight to stop the casualisation of rail workers jobs and any moves that undermine permanent staffing arrangements.
"Safety and security on our trains can only be secured by adequate numbers of conductors, directly employed by the company, working as part of professionally trained and equipped team."
A London Midland spokesman said: "We are pleased for our passengers that they will not be faced with unnecessary industrial action by the RMT. We have spent the last ten days in mess rooms and on trains listening to the concerns of our front-line colleagues.
"As a direct result of those conversations we have decided to review our current arrangements. We all share the same objectives of improving safety and reducing ticketless travel. Our focus now is to work together on how best to achieve this."
