Railway workers’ union has withdrawn a ballot it planned to give to its members on Network Rail after being alleged “in bad faith” by the company and the Department of Transport.
The Association of employees for salaried transport (TSSA) said the contents of a proposed deal had been changed.
The vote was announced after last-ditch negotiations to avoid a strike by TSSA members over jobs, pay and conditions.
The union said Friday it had withdrawn the referendum after Network Rail proposed new changes to the terms and conditions for maintenance classes at a meeting on Thursday.
We cannot negotiate in good faith if Network Rail continues to move the goalposts
The union said the changes would have a “significant negative impact” on members’ working conditions.
TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said: “We submitted details of a salary offer to our members in good faith so that they could let us know what they thought of it.
“The offer was presented to our members as we understood it at the time. We have not commented for or against it.
“Network Rail presented us with something that was significantly different from what we understood their offering yesterday.
“We cannot negotiate in good faith if Network Rail continues to move the goalposts. How can our members accept an offer that has changed afterwards?
“We have no choice but to withdraw our referendum vote on the offer until we are confident that there will be no more government interference and Network Rail will not unilaterally change the offered deal again.
“We remain committed to the principle of empowering our members and are always available for further discussions with Network Rail to hopefully reach a negotiated resolution to our dispute.”
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “Giving our people control over pay is the right thing to do, so naturally we will work with the TSSA to give them the reassurance and clarity they are looking for.
“We have not changed anything, but understand how misunderstandings can arise. We hope they will restart the process in the coming days to give their members a voice and a choice.”