Fresh Govia strikes signal more rail misery

BRITAIN’S biggest rail franchise, which includes Southern and Gatwick Express, is facing the threat of fresh strikes in a dispute over jobs and pay.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union announced it is balloting 1,000 members at Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) who work on stations in a row over plans to close ticket offices.

GTR, which also includes Great Northern, plans to close 34 station ticket offices and staff 49 others only at peak times. The union is also in a sepa- rate, long-running dispute with Southern over moves to change the role of conductors which has led to strikes.

The RMT said ticket office closures and cuts in hours would have a “devastating” impact on staff and the safety and services offered to the public.

The union has rejected the latest proposals from GTR, claiming they would cut pay and result in a large increase in staff working alone.

A spokesman for the union said: “GTR wants to close ticket offices, or cut them to morning peak only, at 83 stations from as far afield as King’s Lynn and Bognor Regis. As a means of doing this they plan to introduce a new multifunctional role of station host which RMT estimates will result in a cut of at least 130 jobs.”

GTR maintains its plans would lead to more staff on station concourses to help passengers and sell tickets.

Southern services have suffered delays for months because of the conductors’ dispute and staff shortages blamed on high levels of sickness.

Keith Jipps, the passenger service director at GTR, said: “The RMT’s threat of further industrial action is entirely unwarranted and clearly another bid by the union to disrupt passengers and GTR across as many parts of our franchise as possible.

“Our new station hosts will be paid more, be able to work in safety and provide passengers with better customer service, but the RMT is not concerned with improving the experience for passengers and are dismissing significant improvements to the terms and conditions for staff.”

The union said that if the ticket office changes go ahead it will mean all station staff could be forced on to flexible working with an increased workload without the prospect of reasonable compensation. The union said it had “no option” but to begin a ballot for strikes and other industrial action.

Ballot papers will go out on Tuesday and voting will close two weeks later. Mick Cash, the general secretary of the RMT, said the union “remains available for serious and meaningful talks”.

A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group, a leadership body, said the move was due to changes in the ways people buy rail tickets, with only one in three bought from a station office.