Southern digs in over ‘pointless’ RMT conductors’ strike

Commuters across Southern’s rail network have been packing out platforms once again as the second day of strike action gets under way.

The walkout is taking place until Friday (August 12), after talks between operator Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union broke down last week.

The industrial action, the knock-on disruptions from which could affect millions more, was taken on a ballot of just 393 staff and came after months of chaos where union members called in sick rather than strike illegally.

What impact would this have on passenger safety, in concrete terms?

“I think passengers have just got to the point where we nearly have to laugh”.

Southern, which runs trains between the British capital and its densely populated southern commuter belt, has said it hopes to run 60 percent of its services, though no trains would operate at all on some routes.

If no agreement is reached by that date we will confirm our position direct with our employees’.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is the rail company that owns Southern.

The union said that the proposed changes to the role of guards would put passengers at risk, particularly on crowded platforms.

“Everyone is sick and exhausted of this pointless, needless and senseless strike, which is so damaging to people’s everyday lives and the South East economy, and causing undue disruption and hardship to customers and employees”.

The RMT must stop trying to live in the past and call off this shameful strike immediately.

Scotrail guaranteed a Conductor on every train.

The union offered to suspend the action on Friday if GTR matched an offer they secured from Scotrail on the same issue.

The RMT blamed Mr Wilkinson for the breakdown of talks last week created to avert the strike. We have it on good authority that the deal, which would have enabled us to suspend the Southern strike action this week, was sabotaged by the Government with their director of rail Peter Wilkinson directing operations from outside the talks.

The opposition Labour Party accused the government of failing to help resolve the dispute because of an anti-union agenda but Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokeswoman said the strike would not solve anything. “The RMT claimed support for the strike was “rock solid” when the reality is large numbers of conductors now recognise that this is a pointless strike”.

While Virgin says it has given the union assurances, including pledging no compulsory redundancies, Cash said: “RMT will not sit back while almost 200 members’ jobs are under threat and while conditions and safety are put at risk by a franchise which is clearly in financial trouble”.

It will take start from London Victoria station on Wednesday (August 10) at 5.30pm and protesters will march to the Department for Transport with three demands – listen to passengers, freeze fares and pay compensation.