RMT agreement
RMT and Merseyrail reach provisional agreement to end long-running dispute over the future of guards.
A provisional deal has been agreed to end a long-running row over the future of guards on trains operated by Merseyrail.
The RMT union had been in dispute with the operator since spring 2017, over plans to introduce a new £460 million fleet of Driver Only Operation trains from 2020-21.
Under the initial proposals, 220 guards were to have been withdrawn by Merseyrail, and replaced by a contingent of 60 nonsafety-critical on-train customer staff on busy and late-night services only.
However, following sustained strike action, the operator has now agreed to extend this arrangement to all services, although door control and train dispatch is still expected to transfer to drivers as planned.
In a joint statement released on August 31, Merseyrail, RMT and the Liverpool City Regional Combined Authority (LCRCA) said that talks supervised by conciliation service ACAS will need to continue for a few more months, to fully agree the role and safety responsibilities of the second member of staff.
A new funding solution must also be found to help pay for the extra staffing, which could include staff productivity proposals, fare rises and a heavier crack-down on fares evasion.
“Today’s announcement is huge progress, but I also want to be clear that it requires a significant financial commitment and hard choices on all sides,” said Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region.
“I believe this agreement gives us the best chance to successfully deliver and operate the new fleet of trains, and therefore is in the best interests of the people of the Liverpool City Region.”
Merseyrail Managing Director Andy Heath said: “We have given our support to this agreement as we have always been clear that any dispute between us and the RMT will only be resolved through talks. Today’s announcement is acknowledgement of that fact.
“During this [next] phase of conciliation we will continue our engagement with both the Combined Authority and the RMT, as we explore the feasibility and affordability of a solution to keeping a second person on the
new trains.”
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash added: “I want to pay tribute to RMT members for their resilience and solidarity throughout this campaign. We now await a fully formed and detailed set of proposals that we can take back to our Executive and our members.”
The RMT has agreed that no further industrial action will take place until a final deal is reached.
The Merseyrail agreement follows a similar deal made between the union and Greater Anglia in July, over proposals to introduce DOO in East Anglia. However, the RMT remains in dispute over the same issue with Southern, South Western Railway and Arriva Northern.