Talks will be held on Wednesday at conciliation service Acas between Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and drivers’ union ASLEF over the strikes that wiped out services on Southern.
The news comes as transport secretary Chris Grayling, who has described the ASLEF strike as ‘politically motivated’, hinted that ministers may bring in new legislation to prevent future strikes. ‘We can’t leave our railways exposed,’ he told the BBC.
GTR said it would be running no Southern services on Tuesday (13 September) and Wednesday and again on Friday because of strikes by drivers over driver only trains. Its Gatwick Express services have also been disrupted.
Victoria Station, from which Southern services usually operate
A GTR spokesman said: ’We are sincerely sorry that Southern services are at a standstill today. These strikes are wholly unjustified and we must find a way forward.
‘We want to talk to ASLEF's leadership to try and find a way to resolve this dispute. We have invited them to meet and we hope we'll be able to begin those talks soon.’
An ASLEF spokesman told Transport Network that the union was ‘happy to talk as long as the talks are going to be meaningful’.
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