RMT has notified the company of its intention to ballot for action following the failure of the company to sign off implementation of the shorter working week for any group of grades, despite an agreement in principle having been reached several years ago.

"The company is simply refusing to talk to us in any meaningful way about what should be the straightforward implementation of an agreement for a 35-hour week on the basis of existing agreed staffing levels," RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.

"Instead, they are cynically attempting to use the 35-hour week as a cover for the imposition of staff cuts throughout the company.

"The company has already imposed a blanket ban on filling posts, which has created staff shortages and left our members working in increasingly difficult and stressful circumstances.

"GNER Travel centres in Edinburgh and at King's Cross are both operating with 20 staff fewer than the agreed levels despite introduction of fast ticket machines, and at Kings Cross there are several staff on long-term sick leave due to the resulting stress.

"It is the same story with on-train teams, where the recruitment ban is having a major negative effect on the remaining staff members, and the failure to replace chefs is fuelling fears that GNER is preparing to cut its prestige restaurant cars altogether.

"Everyone knows that Sea Containers is in deep financial crisis and is trying to sweat its assets and squeeze every last drop of cash out the franchise, but we have already warned GNER that we will not stand by and watch them make our members pay with their jobs.

"We are happy to negotiate implementation of the long-promised 35-hour week, and we are now due to meet the company at national level on December 6, but we have made it clear that we are now in dispute," Bob Crow said.