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Merseyrail prepares for more strike action as RMT talks fail again

Yet more strike action is expected to be announced on Merseyrail services as talks between the operator and the RMT union broke down yet again.

The dispute over driver-only operated trains caused drivers and guards to walk out earlier in the month on 8 April – Grand National day – and led to considerable disruption for punters going to the race course.

RMT held off plans to strike on Merseyrail this Friday – the same day the union is also taking industrial action against fellow operator Northern – to once again sit round the table, but now both parties have confirmed that talks to resolve the problem have failed, opening the door for more strikes to be announced imminently.

Merseyrail stated that it was disappointed that RMT had walked out on talks, as the union was allegedly given a “substantial offer” on staffing evening trains.

Jan Chaudry-van der Velde, Merseyrail’s managing director, said: “We are committed to bringing an end to this dispute and to ensure that we introduce our new trains in a way that works for our passengers and staff.”

The managing director also argued that it understood the value of an on-board staffing presence to customers when travelling late at night – despite the network being one of the safest in the country.

Chaudry-van der Velde added that Merseyrail tabled a number of ideas to provide reassurances to staff and passengers at the negotiations, including a proposal to deploy a member of staff on trains after 8pm – a measure that RMT turned down.

“Despite putting these late-night train staffing proposals on the table, the RMT have apparently not moved from their original position, and therefore we anticipate they will call further strike dates,” the MD explained. “We at Merseyrail are trying hard to create some middle ground so that the negotiation can move forward. It is clear that the RMT are unwilling to move from their entrenched position.”

Merseyrail will now prepare for a fresh bout of industrial action, although it told the union it would still “keep the door open” for RMT to re-join talks.

RMT: Operator ‘flatly refused’ to discuss proposals

The union has told a different story of how the negotiations unfolded yesterday, stating that Merseyrail stubbornly did not want to discuss RMT’s compromise proposal.

In a statement from general secretary Mick Cash, the union claimed it had put forward a compromise to guarantee a second safety-critical crew member aboard every train separate to the issue of train despatch and door control.

“We held off from calling further strike action on Merseyrail to give these talks a chance, but our good faith has been thrown straight back in our faces and once more all they wanted to discuss was the terms of our surrender,” Cash said.

“We offered to accept recommendations on despatch and door control from a safety working group that would include the company, the unions, the manufacturers and the safety agencies, if Merseyrail accepted the principle of a second safety-critical crew-member on every train.”

And regional organiser for the union John Tilley, who led negotiations, said it was “difficult to understand” why Merseyrail invited RMT to talks when the operator refused to budge on the issue.

“Our proposal would have taken the issue of who opens the doors out of the talks altogether, but the company, which had previously tried to hide behind the politicians, even said it would be disappointed if the new metro mayor and city-region authorities ordered a rethink,” Tilley explained.

“That is not just another stab in the back for our members, but a total insult to the Merseyside public who have overwhelmingly supported the campaign to keep guards on Merseyrail.”

RMT calls off strikes on Virgin East Coast

In separate news, RMT also called off a planned strike on Virgin Trains East Coast route yesterday in order to resume talks on a similar issue about the role of the guard on trains.

Virgin stated that union members walking out for 48 hours on 28 and 29 April would have been “futile” as the company was set to run a full timetable – meaning union members would be losing pay for no reason.

David Horne, managing director of the East Coast route on Virgin Trains, said: “We’re pleased that the RMT has agreed to suspend industrial action and continue talks.

“We had put in place detailed contingency plans which would have seen our timetable run as normal, nevertheless this news will be welcomed by our customers and people.”

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