ASLEF drivers again reject Southern proposals
SOUTHERN Railway drivers who belong to ASLEF have rejected the advice of their union officials for a second time, dashing hopes of an end to the long-running industrial dispute over Driver Controlled Operation.
ASLEF negotiated a deal with Southern’s parent company Govia Thameslink Railway in January. In February that deal was rejected in a ballot, and after three weeks of further talks the two sides reached a revised agreement.
In a second ballot announced on April 3, the drivers rejected it again - by a narrow margin. The result was 372 votes to 346 against the deal (51.8% against, with 48.2% in favour). Some 75% of drivers entitled to vote chose to do so.
In the first ballot 54% of drivers had voted against the deal, so the margin has narrowed slightly, although a greater proportion of drivers took part in the second ballot.
GTR Director Andy Bindon said: “It is a hugely disappointing outcome for our passengers, particularly as the agreement carried the full support and recommendation of the ASLEF leadership.”
The union held six days of strike action before putting the first deal to members. Almost no Southern services ran during the strikes, disrupting 300,000 journeys each day. There are currently no plans for further strikes.
ASLEF General Secretary Mick Whelan said: “We understand and support the decision arrived at in a democratic vote by our drivers, and will now seek new talks with the company and work to deliver a resolution to this dispute.
The union had argued that the deal would have secured a second safety-qualified staff member on trains except in exceptional circumstances ( RAIL 823). These included when an On Board Supervisor is taken ill at short notice, arrives late for work or is affected by service disruption.
The company would guarantee to roster a second member of staff on every train that currently has one. It would employ sufficient staff to cover that roster.
The revised deal also included an upgrade to the cab equipment on older Class 377 trains by 2020. ASLEF accepted that older CCTV cameras used by drivers when closing train doors meet current safety standards, but the company agreed that while safe, they did not meet the standard of newer rolling stock.
Southern imposed revised
working conditions from January 1, when most conductors transferred to new roles as On Board Supervisors, with drivers taking over responsibility for operating train doors.
The separate RMT union dispute over similar issues was due to continue with a 32nd day of strike action on Saturday April 8 (after this issue of RAIL had gone to press). The strikes have now been taking place for more than a year. Union officials met with Southern managers on April 4 - talks ended with both sides saying they will “consider their positions”.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said the ASLEF result reflected “continuing and deep-seated concern” among the workforce, adding: “Southern cannot jam their heads in the sand any longer.”
The latest RMT strike was timed to coincide with similar 24-hour action by the union on Merseyrail and Northern, which aimed to disrupt the Grand National at Aintree.
The two companies issued emergency timetables covering the race meeting, which is one of the biggest annual public events in the region. Aintree station is a short walk from the racecourse.
Northern Regional Director Paul Barnfield said: “We are doing everything we can to keep customers on the move. Unfortunately, strike action will severely limit our services. Wherever possible we have provided extra carriages, but to get a Northern train home visitors need to leave Aintree well before the last races. Northern’s last train out of Liverpool Lime Street will leave at 1830.”
On the previous strike on March 17, Merseyrail ran just one in five services, far fewer than expected. It said this was because many drivers in the ASLEF union refused to cross RMT picket lines.
Southern has run more than 90% of services on recent RMT strike days. A spokesman said it was hoped that many passengers would not even notice that industrial action was taking place.
Executives at other train companies have voiced concern at the ballot result. They said the Southern deal could no longer be seen as a template for other train operators seeking to change working practices.