06.02.17
RMT accuses Aslef of ‘shocking betrayal’ in Southern deal
The RMT has lashed out at the truce agreed last week between fellow rail union Aslef and Southern rail in the pair’s long-running dispute over driver-only operated (DOO) trains, calling it a “shocking betrayal” of workers and passengers.
Last week Aslef and GTR reached a provisional agreement to end the dispute with Aslef agreeing to recommend the deal to its drivers as the union called it a “significant step forward” in addressing its concerns about the safety of DOO.
However, after seeing details of the agreement, the RMT has slammed the deal and its organisers the Trades Union Congress (TUC), saying that it would lead to de-staffing of trains.
“This so-called agreement is a shocking and historical betrayal presided over by the TUC of not only the conductor grade and drivers, but also passengers, including disabled passengers, who have lost the guarantee of a second member of staff on their trains,” said the RMT’s general secretary Mick Cash.
“This abysmal document lists a whole host of areas where a train can leave without a second member of staff that will leave both the driver and passengers exposed and vulnerable, and which also represents a thin end of the wedge that will lead to the de-staffing of trains.”
It has been reported that, in a significant compromise reached between Aslef and GTR, the deal outlines circumstances when a train can be operated without an on-board supervisor, such as absenteeism, lateness or illness, or if a guard has to leave a train to handle an emergency.
The revelation has led Cash to accuse Aslef of betraying train conductors who have long fought against DOO, saying that conductors “have had the legs kicked from under them by those who are supposed to be on their side”.
“Passengers and staff alike have been sold out by a stitch-up cooked up in Congress House by the TUC and the bosses while Southern, one of the most anti-union and hated companies of recent times, is laughing all the way to the bank and have been given a free run to rip up the safety rule book in the name of profits,” Cash added.
“This is not a deal, it is a disgrace, and the RMT dispute remains on and we will fight this shocking betrayal with every tool at our disposal.”
The RMT had not been invited to the talks between Aslef and GTR and are still in dispute with the Southern operator, with some of its drivers engaged in recent industrial action.
However, the RMT is set to enter its own round of talks this week after GTR offered an invitation to the union last week with the proviso that there is no threat of further strikes.
Charles Horton, chief executive of GTR, said that his negotiating team is willing to meet the RMT “in a spirit of open and positive dialogue to explore the areas of difference between us with a view to resolving the dispute in the interests of our customers and employees”.
The result of Aslef’s ballot of its members on its deal with GTR is due to be announced on Thursday 16 February. It is unclear what will happen next if Aslef’s members reject GTR’s fresh offer.
(Image c. Nick Ansell PA Wire)
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