YORK-BASED rail company GNER has signed a "ground-breaking" partnership agreement with three leading trade unions.

The company says the deal is aimed at ensuring its continued success and further improving the welfare of its employees.

The new partnership, with the RMT, TSSA and AEEU unions, involves more than 2,100 full-time and part-time staff covered by collective bargaining agreements.

It establishes a number of working principles, which recognise the importance of breaking down barriers and working together to support employment opportunities, sustained business success and improved customer service.

These include: mutual involvement in decision-making; close-communication swapping of information; recognising the need to improve business performance; ongoing training and development; and the need to create the right work-life balance.

It also involves moving from a core 37-hour working week to 35 hours by January 2003.

GNER's human resources director, Mike Gooddie, said: "Our partnership, unique in the industry, reinforces a mature relationship of mutual openness and trust, of consensus, not conflict.

"It recognises the important role of trade unions in contributing to the development of good business practice."

The initiative follows an agreement earlier this year between GNER and the train drivers' union ASLEF, which was applauded by the TUC.

Updated: 11:00 Monday, November 26, 2001