RMT union to ballot for strike action in pay dispute (From Hampshire Chronicle)

RMT union to ballot for strike action in pay dispute

8:04am Friday 3rd February 2012 in News By Matt Smith, Politics and business reporter

A TRANSPORT union has threatened strike action at Southampton port’s main rail freight operator in a dispute over overtime payments.

The RMT union is to ballot its members for industrial action claiming Freightliner has refused to address “incorrect” overtime payments made to multi-skilled operatives on night duties. Dozens will balloted in Southampton, the union said.

General secretary Bob Crow said: “RMT is deeply concerned that Freightliner are not taking this basic matter of incorrect payments seriously and have resorted instead to simply ignoring our members’ concerns that have been raised repeatedly since last September.”

Mr Crow said the RMT remained available for talks.

Freightliner faced industrial action from the RMT and the Transport and Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA), another transport union, in October last year before it agreed an improved pay offer for management staff.

Freightliner yesterday declined to comment on the latest dispute.

The firm has an 80 per cent market share of container rail freight at Southampton, transporting more than 1,000 containers out of the docks every day.