Two more strikes set for Northern
COMMUTERS who use Northern Rail will be hit by another two days of strikes after RMT announced further action over guards and safety concerns.
The rail union confirmed a further 48 hours of strike action – the latest in an ongoing battle over the introduction of driver-only trains.
Lines served include Southport to Burscough and Wigan, and Ormskirk-Preston.
Members will now strike for a full 24 hours on both Monday, March 26 and Thursday, March 29.
The union has also demanded talks with National Rail and the Department for Transport with the aim of reaching a resolution to the ongoing battle.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: “Every single effort that RMT has made to reach a negotiated settlement with Northern Rail over safe operation and safe staffing has been kicked back in our faces.
“No-one should be in any doubt, this dispute is about putting the safety of the travelling public before the profits of the private train companies.
“It is frankly ludicrous that we have been able to negotiate longterm arrangements in Scotland and Wales that protect the guards and passenger safety but we are being denied the same opportunities with rail companies in England.
“Theresa May and Chris Grayling are happy to stand aside and cheer on overseas rail companies that rip-off the British passenger with eye-watering fare increases to subsidise their domestic transport operations while throwing the guards off our trains.
“If it’s good enough for Wales and Scotland to put safety first then it’s good enough for the rest of the UK. RMT remains ready for the tripartite talks we have suggested.”
Responding to RMT’s announcement, Northern Rail said it remains committed to long-term plans to improve services. The firm added that it will run “as many services as possible” during the strikes.
Deputy managing director Richard Allan said: “Our modernisation plans are well underway with almost £500 million of new trains under construction, 90 refurbished trains in service, £7 million spent so far on improving our stations, extra services from May, and more to come by 2020.
“We urge RMT to move away from its nationally co-ordinated campaign and allow its local representatives to engage in meaningful discussions with us on how we better serve customers onboard.’’
Mr Allan added: “We are still prepared to offer unprecedented guarantees of jobs and pay reviews until the end of our franchise in 2025, with the Government guaranteeing jobs beyond that if RMT ends strike action.
“RMT has also rejected our request to hold a fresh ballot despite one in five conductors having started in the role since the RMT dispute started, and have therefore never had a vote.”
PLANNED engineering works will affect Northern Rail’s services this weekend, March 24 and 25.
The Southport-Manchester Airport and Kirkby-Manchester Airport services will run to an amended timetable, before the first of the two separate days of strike action starts on Monday.
Again, the Merseyrail Northern Line will have a rail replacement bus in operation between Maghull and Ormskirk stations this weekend due to planned engineering work.
Please allow additional time when planning journeys.