11.10.16
Three-day Southern strike begins as GTR boss insists ‘dispute has ended’
Rail guards on Southern walked out at midnight last night as last-minute efforts to prevent a strike failed.
The three-day strike action is the first in a 14 day programme by the RMT union in protest at the introduction of driver-only operated (DOO) services.
Last night, Southern’s parent company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) said it was considering legal action to stop the strike after reports that the RMT had instructed members to accept the changes and volunteer for the new on-board supervisor roles.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning, Charles Horton, chief executive of GTR, said: “I can’t tell you when the RMT are going to stop striking. They should stop striking now. The reasons for the dispute have ended.”
Southern said that because of the strikes, it will be forced to cancel trains on some lines and run a reduced service on others.
Trains between Three Bridges and Haywards Heath are also delayed by up to 30 minutes after a Network Rail engineering train on the line developed a fault and couldn’t be moved, meaning services couldn’t run until 7.30am.
GTR has suffered unprecedented performance problems this year, with its PPM falling below any other company for four months.
Paul Maynard, the rail minister, said: “It is disappointing that passengers once again face needless and unjustified strike action by the RMT, after the union advised its members to accept the new roles being offered by the operator.
“The union leaders have continually rejected a deal that protects jobs and ensures that conductors will carry on delivering safe, accessible and more reliable rail services. I call on RMT to put passengers first and stop this damaging action.”
RMT’s general secretary Mick Cash said that the strike action is “rock solid and determined again this morning across the Southern Rail network as we fight to put rail safety and access before the profits of the failed Govia Thameslink operation”.
“Once again this morning Southern have been peddling the lie that this dispute is about who opens and closes the doors when, in fact, it's about the retention of a guaranteed, second safety-critical member of staff, with the full range of safety competencies, on all current services,” he added. “Despite all the spin and bluster the company refuse to give that guarantee.”
For more details about the impact of the strikes on Southern services, click here.
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