21.08.17
Passengers brace for September chaos as RMT announces third triple strike
The RMT’s ongoing saga with Southern, Merseyrail and Northern has marched on this week as strikes on all three TOCs were announced to take place at the start of September.
On Southern and Northern, members of the union will strike for two days (Friday 1 September and Monday 4 September), whilst Merseyrail passengers can look forward to one extra day of disrupted travel on top of these two dates, on Sunday 3 September.
The dispute revolves around the roll out of driver-only operated (DOO) trains, something which the union says will compromise passenger safety.
These new strikes come only weeks after RMT’s last triple strike, and also follow the union threatening to extend the DOO dispute to a fourth operator, Greater Anglia.
Unsurprisingly, leaders of the three TOCs have again accused the union of cynically taking advantage of a busy time of year, as Alan Chaplin, acting managing director of Northern, said that the strikes had been deliberately timed to coincide with children returning to school.
“There is no doubt that the trade union calling two days of strikes on Friday 1 and Monday 4 September, will damage the region’s economy, significantly disrupt our customers’ lives, and impact local businesses,” he argued.
Another gripe that has been raised a number of times by the union is that the guard’s job could be cut following DOO roll out, but Chaplin went on to state that this was not the case.
“Northern is prepared to guarantee jobs and current pay for all our conductors for the next eight years, until the end of our franchise,” he continued. “Our offers to discuss every detail on the future responsibilities and training for on-board colleagues have been rejected by RMT.
“Northern is modernising with new and updated trains, faster and more frequent services, and better stations from now until 2020. We want to make changes to the on-board colleague role to make it fit for the future, better supporting customers on trains and at stations.
Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde, Merseyrail's managing director, simply stated: “The RMT say this dispute is about safety.
“But a recent industry report (RSSB, Risk associated with train dispatch, July 2017) states that: ‘there is no additional risk for passengers boarding and alighting *DCO/DOO trains, and indeed that trains without a guard actually appear to lower overall dispatch related safety risk to passengers.”
A spokesperson for Southern also stated: "We are disappointed by this unnecessary action and the RMT's refusal to engage with us in modernising the railway. We deeply regret any inconvenience this action will cause our passengers and we will make every attempt to minimise disruption.
"Modernisation is urgently required to future-proof and increase capacity on the busiest parts of the UK railway."
And Gary Cooper, director of planning, engineering and operations at the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), also rued the RMT’s decision to call yet more strikes.
“What passengers, the country and our people need is one railway, united, coming together to deliver a bigger and better railway in the long-term, not needless and opportunistic strikes as people return to school and work after the holidays,” he commented.
“Train companies remain committed to keeping Britain’s passengers moving and supporting the economy whilst the union leadership is playing politics with a vital national asset. The RMT leadership should to call off their action and get back around the table.”
RMT: TOCs being intransigent, pig-headed and hostile
But the RMT sent a strongly worded response to the TOCs, as Mick Cash, general secretary of the union, told Northern that the public will be appalled that Arriva Rail North had failed to offer any kind of progress in the talks, adding that the operator had “bulldozed” through any potential resolution.
“Yet again this morning we have been confronted with the sheer intransigence of Arriva Rail North and that means that we have no option but to confirm a further round of strike action,” he said.
“It is that flagrant disregard for the safety issues at the heart of the dispute which leaves us with no option but to press on with the campaign of strike action.”
And speaking about Merseyrail, Cash said rail bosses had taken a “cynical and hostile” stance which had left the union with no option but to press ahead with three days of strikes.
“RMT recognises the severe impact that the action will have but we are dealing with an employer that refuses to listen or engage with the union on the critical issue of safe rail operation and we ask the public to understand that we have no option but to take this high-profile action to force the company back to the negotiating table,” Cash reassured passengers.
“Merseyrail are completely ignoring the clear wishes of their own passengers, who overwhelmingly oppose the idea of DOO trains on their network.
“That pig-headed attitude has forced the union’s hand and the idea that we would compromise on the fundamental issue of rail safety is absurd. The ball remains firmly in Merseyrail’s court.”
And on Southern, Cash said he was “bitterly disappointed” the TOC had rejected a call for round table discussions with an interest in resolving the dispute.
“The failure to get those talks moving following our face to face meeting with transport secretary Chris Grayling has left us no option but to call further action,” he concluded.
Top Image: Victoria Jones PA Wire
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