Rail bosses invite RMT for talks on strikes
FURTHER rail strikes could yet be avoided as Arriva Rail North invited the RMT Union to sit down for further negotiations.
More industrial action was announced by RMT on Thursday, August 9, in response to proposed changes to the role of the conductor.
Now Arriva Rail North has formally invited RMT to continue recent talks by moving to mediated discussions at ACAS, and calling off the planned strike action.
David Brown, managing director of Arriva Rail North, said: “Over the last few weeks, further positive talks have taken place to find a resolution to RMT’s ongoing dispute.
“Having invited RMT to continue these talks this week, it is very disappointing the union has announced further strikes on September 1 and September 8.
“We can only resolve this dispute by working jointly through meaningful talks.
“I am fully committed to finding a joint solution which is why I have invited RMT to these ACAS mediated talks.”
Arriva Rail North is delivering what it calls the biggest modernisation plan on the Northern network for a generation.
A spokesman said: “This includes £500m of new ● trains now under construction, retirement of the Pacer trains, refurbishment of all 243 remaining trains, better stations and more services.
“As part of this modernisation, we want to work with our train crews to agree how we can operate more flexibly and deliver services that better meet the changing needs of our customers.
“This is why we have been holding talks with RMT in the hope of ultimately delivering for our customers through new, modern working arrangements.
“I have also called on them to suspend their planned industrial action to allow these talks to take place and not disrupt our customers over three busy weekends. I hope that the union will consider the many families making plans for the last weekend of the summer holidays.”
The invitation comes less than a week after RMT accused Northern of ‘making a mockery’ of negotiations.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash, upon the announcement of the strike, said: “RMT committed to talks in good faith with Northern but instead of making progress towards a settlement that matches the best practice in the rail industry as negotiated elsewhere the company have opted instead to play and fast and loose making a mockery of the exercise.
“Our reps know when they are being strung along and it’s that attitude from the company that has forced us to announce this next phase of action.
“RMT members on Arriva Rail North have been in dispute for well over a year now in a battle to put public safety before private profit and we are angry and frustrated that a genuine opportunity to reach an agreement has been kicked back by the company.
“German-owned Northern Rail want to run nearly half a million trains a year without a safety critical guard on board in a move that would wreck both safety and access to services and they should listen to their front-line staff and pull back from that plan immediately.”