SWR strikes off
THE RMT union has suspended strike action on South Western Railway and Northern, after what it called “significant breakthroughs”.
Action on Northern was called off on February 6, after the union said the company promised to keep guards on all trains for the rest of its franchise.
A similar decision followed on February 18 on SWR, where members had been due to walk out on February 22 and March 9/16.
The union said the company had guaranteed a guard on the SWR services that had been in dispute. It claimed the company offered that on all new rolling stock, each passenger train would operate with a guard with safety-critical competencies.
Ninety new Bombardier Aventra trains are due for delivery from the end of this year, for services in south London and between Reading and Waterloo. These trains are capable of Driver Only Operation. Currently no SWR services operate this way.
The company did not confirm the accuracy of the union claims, but said that a new “framework for discussions” had been agreed with talks due in the week starting on February 25.
A spokesman said: “We are looking forward to further constructive discussions with the RMT, and are hopeful that by building on this breakthrough we can see an end to this industrial action.”
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: “Today’s offer of a guarantee of a guard on the SWR services in dispute is the substantial progress we have been pushing for. We need to recognise that the breakthrough has only been achieved through nearly two years of industrial action and campaigning by RMT members on the principle of a safe and accessible railway for all.”
SWR had repeatedly said that it would roster a guard on every service, but wanted to retain the ability to run a train in limited circumstances when a guard was not available, rather than cancelling the service.
It also pointed out repeatedly that only its new suburban trains would be capable of operation without a guard. All rolling stock used on longer-distance routes to Portsmouth, Southampton, Weymouth, Salisbury and Exeter is not fitted with in-cab CCTV cameras.
Guards on SWR had taken 29 days of strikes since November 2017. In early February, they voted for a fourth time to continue their industrial action, with 88% of
guards who took part in the ballot choosing more strikes. However, the turnout was lower than in all three previous ballots, with 423 members voting for action, according to a company source.
SWR has operated two-thirds of trains during weekday strikes, and half the normal timetable at weekends.
On Northern, RMT members have taken 47 days of industrial action, causing huge disruption to passengers over the past two years. On most strike days, barely half the normal service has run. As with SWR, the union claimed the company had now offered a guarantee of a conductor on all trains.
The union said that Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram had been important in helping to break the deadlock. As with SWR, further strike action was suspended to allow new talks to take place.
Burnham said that keeping guards “will help to keep trains safety and more accessible for everybody”.