18.05.16
RMT accused of ‘scaremongering’ as DOO strikes threaten to expand to ScotRail
The dispute over driver-operated only (DOO) trains has worsened following another round of strikes on the Southern routes, as RMT announced it is also balloting ScotRail conductors.
Southern conductors went on strike yesterday, after changing the date twice, leading to train delays all day.
The union announced today that from 24 May to 7 June it will ballot Abellio ScotRail staff over a similar strike, repeating its concerns that removing conductors’ power to operate doors threatens passenger safety.
Mick Cash, general secretary of the RMT, called DOO “a lethal gamble with basic safety”.
But Charles Horton, CEO of Southern’s parent company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), said: “The railway men and women of Britain are overwhelmingly diligent and hard-working, and they care deeply about the rail service they provide. But they are being led astray, and misled repeatedly, by trade unions acting in their own narrow, selfish interests and ignoring the interests of either commuters or railway workers themselves.
“It’s time for those unions to get on board with these changes which will improve the railway for passengers, as well as securing the jobs of their members.”
GTR also accused RMT of ‘scaremongering’, adding that the changes would not result in job losses and that DOO is endorsed by the Office of Rail and Road and already used on 40% of Southern services.
It added that the accusation that GTR is putting profit ahead of safety is “outrageous” and “deliberately misleading”.
(Image c. Danny Lawson from PA Images)
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