21.08.15
FGW strike to go ahead on Sunday after talks fail
Workers at First Great Western (FGW) are set to walk out for 24 hours this weekend after talks failed to resolve a row over the introduction of the new fleet of Hitachi inter-city trains.
Members of the RMT union will go ahead with the planned strike action for Sunday 23 August, followed by a 72-hour walkout over the bank holiday weekend.
Yesterday, union representatives and FGW failed to reach an agreement to prevent the action after two days of talks.
An RMT spokesman said: “Despite strenuous efforts we have failed to reach agreement with First Great Western on the fundamental issues at the heart of the dispute over the introduction of the new Hitachi trains. As a result the action this Sunday goes ahead. The union remains available for talks.”
A spokesman for FGW added that while it held a “positive” meeting with the RMT, disappointingly, no agreement had been reached.
They added: “We plan to meet again on Monday. This means that the strike action planned by the RMT on Sunday is likely to go ahead.
“Trains will run to an amended timetable, with around 70% of our regular Sunday service running.”
The planned strike action follows a 48-hour walkout on 8 July when workers demanded assurances over jobs, which they feared were under threat with the new Hitachi InterCity Express Programme ‘Super Express’ Class 800/1 trains.
The bi-mode fleet is due to enter service on the Great Western Main Line between London and South Wales from 2017.