Courts back the management against the rail union.

[stephen500]

I know it is not our fight, but I note that the courts have once again backed the management against the worker.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8598456.stm
"Rail strike plans cancelled after court injunction

During the strike, trains would not run in the early mornings or late evenings
A planned national rail strike by the RMT union has been called off after Network Rail challenged it in the High Court.

The company was granted an injunction after it alleged discrepancies in the RMT's ballot for industrial action.

It means a four-day strike, due to start next Tuesday, will not go ahead.

Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT, said the judgement was "an attack on the whole trade union movement" and the executive would recommend a re-ballot.

Mr Crow said: "Workers fighting for the principle of a safe railway have had the whole weight of the law thrown against them."

Earlier, a QC representing Network Rail told Judge Mrs Justice Sharp, who made the order, that "unlawful" strike action would cause "immense damage to the economy".

Robin Gisby, head of operations at Network Rail, said: "This is good news for the millions of passengers who rely on us every day, for our freight users and for the country."

The RMT had planned to strike over Network Rail's plans to cut 1,500 jobs and increase evening and weekend maintenance work.

The union says the plans would affect rail safety.

Responding to the rail strike cancellation, Transport Secretary Lord Adonis said it would be "a huge relief" to all those who were planning on travelling on the railways next week.

"It is now vital that the two sides in this dispute get back round the table as soon as possible to negotiate a settlement and I call on them to do so," he said."

[brothermagrew]

Clearly round 1 to Network Rail but Bob Crow on behalf of his members tells it as it is.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8599714.stm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[BELIAL]

Robin Gisby, head of operations at Network Rail, said: "This is good news for the millions of passengers who rely on us every day, for our freight users and for the country."

Until the first train goes through a defective signal, or jumps a set of worn out points . Just wait for the public hand wringing and pious expressions of grief when the news of mangled bodies breaks,but the profit will be tucked away safely in someones overseas tax free account

[DirtyHarry]

Surprise, surprise, the law once again delivers a slap in the face to the working man/woman.
Sounds like a law worth breaking on a grand scale, to me.

[PostieWithTheMostie!]

Network Rail has been granted an injunction preventing a crippling national strike by signal workers.

Judge Mrs Justice Sharp made an interim order against the Rail Maritime and Transport union at a hearing in London's High Court.

Earlier, a QC representing Network Rail told her that "unlawful" strike action would cause "immense damage to the economy".



Sounds familiar to our strike a couple of years ago - High Court telling us to get back to work, SO WHATS THE POINT OF A UNION? If a Court can tell you not to strike..

[DirtyHarry]

The high court again colluded with hard-nosed bosses a couple of weeks ago against the BA workers.

A pattern is developing, and unless the workers take it upon themselves to do something about it, the law will destroy us, eventually.

[BELIAL]

Earlier, a QC representing Network Rail told her that "unlawful" strike action would cause "immense damage to the economy".

Me .I'm thick,but how does that compare with giving £800,000,000,000 of taxpayers cash to fat cat bankers who gambled with your money and lost

[Night Tonic]

More like the RMT not doing its job right and making sure it got things right in the first place. I suppose union funds will have to cover any expences incurred.

[BELIAL]

The high court again colluded with hard-nosed bosses a couple of weeks ago against the BA workers.

A pattern is developing, and unless the workers take it upon themselves to do something about it, the law will destroy us, eventually.

Yep ,two judgments that set legal precedent ,starting to sound like 'make it up as you go'. The law says one thing but a a judge says "you have no right to strike".
Just curious, how many of these "judges " will declare the next general election result illegal if a polling card goes to an unoccupied address ?

[DirtyHarry]

Just curious, how many of these "judges " will declare the next general election result illegal if a polling card goes to an unoccupied address ?

Once it doesn't disrupt the corrupt proccesses that keeps Britain's wealthy, getting even more wealthy, not a single one.

[Tman]

Would the cynical take the view that the law is always "corrupt" etc when it's judgements don't go the way the one yelling "corruption" wishes?

Not that the one yelling "corruption" would be in any way biased, of course....

More like RMT should have made sure it's processes etc were watertight, and saved it's members' subs money from a wasteful repeat court hearing.

[NWpostie]

Its actually a pointless exercise and will only aggravate the situation, They may have stopped the strike but they haven't stopped the dispute, that will not go away, Court or no Court

[Lounge Lizard]

Earlier, a QC representing Network Rail told her that "unlawful" strike action would cause "immense damage to the economy".

Me .I'm thick,but how does that compare with giving £800,000,000,000 of taxpayers cash to fat cat bankers who gambled with your money and lost

And government subsidy for the railways now going into sharehoilders pockets not to giving a better service to the public

[johnsouthwales]

High Court's decision to grant an injunction halting a four-day national rail strike "raises suspicions the ballot was rigged". The Trade Union Coordinating Group said this was "a completely unsubstantiated allegation" and demanded a retraction.

Mr Crow - the RMT's general secretary - said Humphrys had made a "serious accusation" in suggesting the ballot had not been conducted fairly.

"The fact is the court decided it had not been fairly handled, fairly done the ballot, and had to be done again."

"How can a ballot conducted by the Electoral Reform Society be rigged?" said Labour MP John McDonnell, the TUCG's Parliamentary Convenor.

the strike was called off after Network Rail successfully argued that there were irregularities in the ballot, including votes being taken from signal boxes that no longer existed.

Mr Bear said there were serious inaccuracies in the RMT ballot, in which 54 per cent of signallers polled backed the strike. He said the majority in favour of that strike was 224, but up to 245 votes were called into question. The court heard there were flaws in the balloting of 143 of out of the 828 Network Rail signal boxes and control centres identified by the union.

According to Mr Bear, 23 signal boxes were left out of the ballot, while votes were taken from 11 others which no longer existed. In 67 signal boxes the ballot was extended to more people than employed at the time by Network Rail.

Frederic Reynold, QC, for the RMT, said the union had gone to considerable lengths to ensure the accuracy of its database.

But Mrs Justice Sharp said there was “clear evidence that the RMT appear not to have taken account of the information which was available to it from Network Rail”. She said the union had failed to take “simple steps” to check this information.