Sheffield rail strikes: 24-hours of strike action in September involving National Rail staff announced

The Transport Salaried Staff Association (TSSA) announced the strike action this morning, which will go on for 24-hours straight, from midday on September 26, to midday on September 27.

TSSA union leader Manuel Cortes said: “The dead hand of Grant Shapps is sadly stopping DfT train operating companies from making a revised, meaningful offer.

“Frankly, he either sits across the negotiating table with our union or gets out of the way to allow railway bosses to freely negotiate with us, as they have done in the past.

“The reason for the current impasse lies squarely at Shapps’ door and passengers are paying a high price for his incompetence and intransigence.”

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The strike action will include staff from National Rail and nine train operator companies (TOCs), including East Midlands Railway, who manage Sheffield Station.

Action short of strike will also be taken by staff at other companies, including Northern and Transpennine Express, who regularly service Sheffield.

Mr Cortes said: “I welcome the fact that negotiations are ongoing with Network Rail and the gap towards a resolution is narrowing. Time will tell whether a deal can be done to avert our next strike.

“I will be standing on our picket line in Liverpool and will be encouraging fellow delegates and Labour MPs to do likewise, so they can rightly show they stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those fighting the Tories’ cost of living crisis.”