“RMT also wants ATW to pay train drivers in Wales a salary which compares favourably to drivers elsewhere”.
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RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “Our members on Arriva Trains Wales are furious over management’s failure to improve working conditions and safety and to reduce fatigue”.
Arriva Trains Wales says all services will be cancelled if a planned 48-hour strike by drivers in the ASLEF and RMT unions goes ahead on Thursday and Friday (November 13 and 14).
And union officials accused the company of being unwilling to table an adequate pay offer despite previous strike action being postponed to allow further talks to take place.
The Executive Committee met with the Lead Officer and ATW Company Council this morning to consider two offers from the company.
The company has said there will be no services on Thursday, November 12, and Friday, November 13.
The strike will coincide with the Wales v Netherlands football global friendly at Cardiff City Stadium on Friday.
Arriva Trains Wales HR director Gareth Thomas said he is expecting further talks today, but an ASLEF spokesman told BBC Wales that his union had not been invited. “A show of strength will show management that you are not prepared to tolerate their delaying tactics any longer in offering a fair pay offer and real improvements to your working conditions”.
Arriva said it had offered an above-inflation three-year pay deal, worth 2.5 per cent in the first year, plus a one hour cut in the maximum daily working hours to nine-and-a-half hours, and a commitment to look at rest arrangements. The current base salary for a driver is £43,869, which would rise to £44,966, Arriva said.
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“We continue to do all we can to avert strike action however we are advising customers to make alternative travel arrangements for these days”, added an ATW official.
