The RMT union has announced two new strikes in the widening dispute over the role of guards on trains.
The union confirmed 48 hours of strike action on Virgin Trains East Coast over over the ‘threat to guards, stations and travel centre roles’.
It said it had ‘sought an explicit clarification on the company’s position on the retention of the role of the guard, in the form of seeking a specific assurance from the employer that the new role of train manager will retain the safety critical roles and training currently held by train guards’.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: ‘It is simply appalling that Virgin East Coast have refused to give the most basic assurances on the safety-critical role of the guard on their trains continuing into the future.’
The strike will run from 00.01 hours on Friday 28 April 2017 until 23.59 hours on Saturday 29 April.
The RMT has also confirmed a further 24 hour strike on Arriva Rail North on 28 April, stating that the company had ‘failed to offer any progress at all in talks last week over the guards and drivers safety dispute’.
Gary Cooper, director of operations, engineering and major projects at the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, said: ‘We call on the RMT leadership to call off the unnecessary strike action and sit down at the negotiating table.
‘Passengers, businesses and jobs across the North of England need the delivery of a long-term investment and improvement plan, not attempted RMT disruption that will do down the region.’
Separately, the RMT has said it will be holding further talks with Southern Rail on 24 and 25 April in the long-running dispute over driver only operation and the role of guards.
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