Legal action on 'invented' dispute
A rail company is to take legal action this week against a trade union over a dispute it claimed had been "invented."
Members of the Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at East Midlands Trains banned overtime a week ago.
The union said the action had led to timetable changes and cancellations this weekend, but the company maintained that the cancellation of the East Midlands Parkway to Liverpool services was due to driver shortages.
The union said there had been a breakdown in industrial relations over a number of issues, including the scheduling of work in Nottingham.
An East Midlands Trains spokesman said: "We have been forced to start legal proceedings to prevent the RMT from trying to cause disruption to our passengers by encouraging and misleading our employees into taking unlawful strike action. This is an invented dispute and there is no substance to the allegations made by the union.
"The shifts our people are working are all within the parameters of the respective terms and conditions which have been agreed by the RMT."
RMT leader Bob Crow said: "East Midlands Trains' solicitors have jumped on the anti-trade union legislation and threatened the union with a High Court injunction.
"The union have been summoned to attend court on Tuesday. This means that East Midlands Trains are attempting to stop the current industrial action by seeking an injunction from the High Court.
"RMT are determined to defend the union's position on this matter.
"Our demands are not unreasonable and we firmly believe that management should sit down and enter into meaningful negotiation with RMT, instead of hiding behind the anti-trade union laws in an attempt to prevent the union from talking industrial action."
