Rail workers started a five-day strike yesterday on services across south-east England, including commuter trains into London, causing major disruptions.
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This walkout is expected to last five days, with Southern warning all trains will be hit until end of service on Friday.
Govia Thameslink Railway’s (GTR) proposals to settle the guards/conductors’ dispute led by the RMT union at ACAS were not successful and the strike commences on Monday 8 August and runs to Friday 12 August inclusive. Although Southern services are not running to Reigate, Great Western Railway trains are.
“However, the good news is that the timetable we are operating is 60 per cent of our normal service and these are running well”.
Hmmmmm – the RMT is suspicious that giving responsibility to drivers will downgrade the role of conductors.
Govia said it had offered new assurances on jobs to the union, although it is pressing ahead with plans to change the role of conductors later this month. The company said it will to begin to make the change on 21 August, despite determined union opposition.
Southern Rail have already confirmed that they will only be running trains to the AMEX Stadium until 17:00, meaning fans who travel on the railway will not even be able to get to the ground, never mind get back.
One tweeted: “The irony of the Southern Rail strike is that the usual service is so bad that I genuinely can’t tell the difference”.
General Secretary Mick Cash said: “RMT will not sit back while almost 200 members’ jobs are under threat and also conditions and safety are put at risk by a franchise which is clearly in financial trouble”.
“It is not helping passengers travelling on these trains whether people have concerns about safety or not”, she said.
The strike adds to the problems of tired passengers who have suffered months of cancellations and delays because of high levels of staff sickness, while in July Southern axed 341 trains, about 15 percent, to provide what it said would be a more regular service.
“The RMT’s strike is unnecessary, unacceptable and unjustified”.
Train drivers working for Southern and Thameslink are being balloted for strike action which could take place in September.
“I can report that the strike action this morning is rock solid across the Southern Rail network as we fight to put rail safety before the profits of the failed Govia Thameslink operation”, said RMT general secretary Mick Cash.
Is the government doing anything to resolve the dispute?
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“And there will be fewer train cancellations in future: now, conductors are tied to specific routes and services, but the new on-board supervisor will be able to go anywhere on our network, significantly reducing the perennial problem of train cancellations due to conductors not being available when they’re delayed by disruption, for example”.
