25.08.16
RMT should put ‘fair and comprehensive’ offer to members, says Southern
Southern has urged the RMT to re-enter talks or offer its members a vote on the train company’s offer after the union announced another two-day strike.
RMT announced on Tuesday that it will strike on 7 and 8 September after Southern said it will proceed in expanding its use of driver-operated only (DOO) services, where the train’s conductor cannot open its doors. RTM has asked about the specifics of how this is being implemented, but at the time of publication had received no reply.
The union has repeatedly warned the proposals will lead to job cuts and put passenger safety at risk, despite DOO being recently rated safe by the Rail Safety and Standards Branch.
Alex Foulds, passenger services director at Southern, said: “We’ve had a summer of travel chaos for hundreds of thousands of people and they are now proposing yet more misery and disruption in the week when people go back to work and back to school.
“This futile dispute is not about safety and no-one is losing their jobs or taking a pay cut. The fact is we are creating good jobs – jobs that attracted over 850 enquiries within 24 hours of being advertised, with good terms and conditions. We’ve made a fair and comprehensive offer and perhaps it’s an offer that the RMT should put to their members to consider.”
Southern’s most recent offer to RMT includes a commitment to have a second member of staff on as many trains as possible.
RMT has held three previous strikes, contributing to unprecedented disruptions on the network which have forced Southern to cancel 341 services a day to try to regain control of its timetable.
It is also planning separate strikes across Southern’s parent company, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), in protest at closures of ticket offices.
Foulds said Southern’s “door remains open” to resume talks with RMT, either directly or at brokerage service Acas.
However, Mick Cash, general secretary of RMT, said that while RMT was “committed to serious and genuine talks”, Southern had “undermined” the talks by introducing DOO and insisting on pre-conditions for negotiation.
“We would call on the company to row back, get back round the table and allow talks to take place without preconditions and without the immediate threat to the safety critical role hanging over our members’ heads,” he said.
UPDATE 4.15pm
RMT has announced it will hold the 24-hour strike by GTR station staff on 7 September, to coincide with the existing strike.
Cash said: “These cuts plans fly in the face of the response from the thousands of passengers who objected to the closure of ticket offices and the de-staffing of stations as Govia drives on with plans for a “faceless railway” where the public are left to fend for themselves on rammed-out, dangerous and unreliable services.
“It is about time Govia Thameslink started acting responsibly, halted their cuts plans and got round the table with the union in serious and genuine talks.”
(Image c. Jonathan Brady)
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