Rail strikes: RMT cancels day of strikes to avoid Poppy Appeal clash after warning charity would miss out on £1m
RAIL Union RMT have axed their plans to strike on Poppy Day.
The Sun last week exclusively revealed that the Poppy Appeal would have missed out on £1million in donations after they were forced to cancel their annual fundraiser.
Volunteers take donations at train stations across the capital, with the total raised known to hit a massive £1m.
But rail and tube strikes had forced them to cancel the fundraiser this year.
However, rail bosses have today announced that transport will go ahead on November 3.
Instead, workers will now strike on November 5, 7 and 9.
TSSA interim general secretary Frank Ward said, “Once we became aware of Poppy Day and the impact our industrial action could have on Royal British Legion’s fundraising, we took the decision to call off our action.
“However, we will still be taking industrial action on dates from November 4 to 8, with action short of a strike taking place throughout November in some rail companies.
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“Our members do not take industrial action lightly. This dispute could be resolved speedily if Mark Harper (new Transport Secretary) can avoid the mistakes of Grant Shapps and use his powers to mandate a fair pay rise, reasonable terms and conditions and no compulsory redundancies.
“The Tories have played politics with Britain’s railways, preventing Department for Transport companies from negotiating with the unions and the result has been a deeply unhappy workforce and misery for commuters.
“It’s high time the train operators got round the table with us and negotiated a fair solution.”
Last week volunteers blasted the strikes for forcing the cancelation.
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A Poppy Appeal spokesperson previously said: “The Royal British Legion has cancelled its ‘London Poppy Day’, which raises up to £1m annually, on Thursday 3rd November owing to a rail strike called by the RMT.
“The event sees 2,000 military personnel and veterans collecting for the RBL’s Poppy Appeal across transport hubs in London, it is the most successful single-day collection of its kind in the UK and is reliant on donations from commuters.
“The charity is urgently considering alternative arrangements to lessen the impact from the loss of funds caused by this cancellation on its vital work with the Armed Forces community.”