08.07.16
RMT offers to suspend Southern strikes for three months
Trade union RMT has made a new offer to reopen talks with Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) in the ongoing industrial dispute, but GTR has not yet agreed to accept their conditions.
In an open letter to Charles Horton, the CEO of GTR, Mick Cash, the general secretary of RMT, said the union would suspend strikes for three months if GTR suspended proposals to extend driver-operated only (DOO) services on the Southern line for the same period.
Cash said the proposals “will then allow us the time and space to sit down together and try and explore options that will seek to deliver the lasting improvements to service and reliability we all want”.
RMT has led three strikes this year in protest at the proposals, leading to services being cancelled.
A GTR spokesperson said the company welcomed the offer but did not confirm that it would suspend the proposals.
They said: “We welcome the offer of talks and a new approach from the RMT. We have been trying to actively engage them for the past six months. We welcome the suggested suspension of industrial action, but we don't need three months to resolve this.
“We are ready to sit down with the RMT and discuss a way forward that we believe that they, our employees and customers will welcome, and can bring an end to this dispute.”
GTR also asked RMT to work with the company to address the high rate of sickness absence among staff, which it said is the main cause of delays on the line.
In an appearance before the Transport Select Committee on Tuesday, Cash denied that the sickness absences were “being organised.”
The latest performance and punctuality measure (PPM) figures show GTR was the company with the biggest drop in June, with its PPM at 66.8% compared to 86.3% at the same time last year.
It also announced that it is cancelling 341 trains a day to try to reduce the impact of unpredictable cancellations.
Stripping GTR of the franchise
Chuka Umunna, the former shadow business secretary and MP for Streatham, has tabled an early day motion urging the government to strip GTR of its franchise before the renewal date, and accelerating the transfer of Greater London services to Transport for London.
The motion has been signed by eight MPs, including Labour’s Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, the Conservatives’ Maria Caulfield, and the Green Party’s Caroline Lucas.
Umunna has also launched an online petition for members of the public to call for the franchise to be taken away from GTR.
(Image c. Dominic Lipinski from PA Wire)
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