The Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has announced five further strikes totalling 14 days by conductors (guards) on Southern rail services after claiming ‘victory’ in a similar dispute in Scotland.
The union said the continued insistence by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which runs Southern, ‘on removing critical safety trained Guards from trains’ gave it no alternative but to announce new industrial action, beginning on 11 October with a 72-hour strike.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: ‘Yet again our members are being forced to take industrial action in a bid to maintain a safe and secure service on Southern. Govia Thameslink and the Government have made it clear that they have no interest in resolving this dispute.
‘Instead they have begun the process of bulldozing through the drive towards wholesale Driver Only Operation (DOO) without agreement and without any concern for the impact on safety, security and disability access.‘
Mr Cash pointed to last week’s train derailment near Watford involving two trains and said guards on both trains ‘played a vital role in protecting the passengers and the trains in what were extremely frightening circumstances’.
He also highlighted the RMT’s agreement with Scotrail, which the union called a ‘major victory in battle to defend guards’.
The RMT said the Scotrail deal guarantees a guard on every new electrified train and that the conductor would retain their full competency, with Scotrail confirming that trains operating these services will not run without a competent conductor on board.
It said it would use the deal ‘as a benchmark in talks with other companies where guards are under threat including Southern Rail’.
Responding to the RMT’s announcement of new strikes, Angie Doll, GTR passenger services director, called the union’s claims about jobs, pay and safety ‘trumped-up make believe’ and ‘scaremongering’.
She said: ‘As a responsible operator, our priority is to make our services more accessible, not less, and we will not be shaken in that commitment. We care deeply about those of our customers who are less mobile and help thousands of elderly and disabled customers week in, week out, to travel with us.
‘We will do everything we can to ensure those needing help getting on and off our trains receive our care and attention to get them where they want to be, promptly and hassle-free.’
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