The roller-coaster ride that is the Southern Rail dispute takes a new turn as talks break down
Arbitration talks to end the dispute between the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) Union and Southern Rail have broken down.
In news that will send shivers down the spines of many of the capital's commuters, the RMT said that Southern had rejected "solid" proposals in relation to the role of guards (or "second persons") on the trains.
The talks were convened at arbitration organisation Acas with the strike called off last Thursday – although Southern did not return to a pre-strike service on Friday.
"We had a golden opportunity in these talks to make some serious progress on the core issue of a second person on the train," said RMT boss Mick Cash
"We are guaranteeing jobs, pay and a second person on as many trains as we do today and also offered to work with the RMT to agree modern working practices to reduce cancellations and passenger disruption," said Angie Doll of Southern's owner Govia Thameslink.
Read more: More proof Southern's still a total basket case after timetable changes
Southern said the RMT was not prepared to accept driver-only trains in any circumstance.
“The union is rigidly refusing our offer to agree a list of exceptional circumstances when we would be able to run our trains without a second staff member on board, such as during disruption to still get people home. This would create the crucial flexibility we need to ensure fewer cancelled trains for our passengers," said Doll.
"It's a bitter blow that a firm set of union proposals that could have allowed us to move forward were rejected out of hand," said Cash.
The dispute centres around Southern's proposal to change the role of guards on trains by taking the responsibility of operating carriage doors away from them and giving it to the drivers.