The RMT union has announced a wave of further strikes on Southern rail services over the coming months including during Bonfire Night, Christmas time and New Year, as members started a 48-hour strike today.
The bitter dispute is over the role of conductors (guards), with Southern's parent company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) pushing for driver-only operated (DOO) trains, while the union hopes to protect the role claiming it is crucial to passenger safety and disabled access.
RMT strike dates:
- 00:01 Friday 4 November to 23:59 Saturday 5 November
- 00:01 Tuesday 22 November to 23:59 Wednesday 23 November
- 00:01 Tuesday 6 December to 23:59 Thursday 8 December
- 00:01 Thursday 22 December to 23:59 Saturday 24 December
- 00:01 Saturday 31 December to 23:59 Monday 2 January
GTR has repeatedly refused to publish its list of exceptional circumstances under which it would use DOO, raising fears that it may include common occurrences such as the non-availability of train crews and thus pave the way for the erosion of the role.
Talks between the two sides appear to have broken down completely, with one RMT spokesman telling Transport Network they have had no contact with GTR whatsoever recently.
GTR has vowed to push ahead with its planned changes to the role of conductor and has threatened to withhold backdated holiday pay from conductors on Southern if they take part in strikes.
In a letter from GTR to the RMT, bosses said: ‘As the dispute over conductors and DOO is ongoing and your members continue to breach their contracts by taking strike action, thereby causing significant loss to the business and disruption to our customers, we will (without prejudice to our rights) withhold payment of any backdated holiday pay from conductors.
‘Any conductors who have either worked normally during the dispute, or confirm that they will now work normally during the remainder of the dispute and will not participate in further industrial action, will receive payment...
‘Failing that, GTR intends to make the appropriate payment to employees of this grade in the pay run on 30 December 2016, subject to the current dispute being concluded and no further strike dates being called.’
RMT is understood to be seeking legal advice about the letter.
A Southern spokesman told the BBC: ‘We plan to pay them once the industrial action is over.’
Mick Cash, RMT General Secretary, said: ‘Despite a vicious campaign of company bullying, threats and intimidation the strike action on Southern this morning remains absolutely rock solid. The solution to this dispute can be achieved easily through a cast-iron guarantee of a second, safety-critical member of staff on all current services with a guard.
‘Once again this morning the union is demanding that transport secretary Chris Grayling gets out of his bunker, gets hold of this basket-case company and gets round the table for serious negotiations.’
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