South Western commuters face more strike misery with fresh dates announced
Fresh strikes are set to hit commuters on South Western Railway routes in February and March, a union warned today.
The RMT union said it secured a fresh mandate for industrial action in a long-running dispute over a reduction in the number of guards on South Western trains.
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Train drivers, railway guards and commercial guards will not turn up for work on Friday, 22 February, Saturday 9 March and Saturday 16 March.
“It is a disgrace that South Western Railway have yet again opted to play for time over the past six months rather than acting responsibly and getting round the table with the union to work out a solution to this dispute that puts safety and the guard guarantee centre stage,” said RMT general secretary Mick Cash.
“That is the package we have successfully negotiated in both Wales and Scotland and on a number of English franchises. It defies belief that we are being denied the same positive outcome on the South Western Railway routes.”
Members voted with an 88 per cent majority to renew strike action yet again – the fourth such ballot affecting passengers using South Western trains.
A South Western Railway spokesperson said: “We are obviously very disappointed for our customers that the RMT union plans to continue this needless industrial action.
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“We have repeatedly committed to rostering a guard on all our services – the same assurance that seem to have been sufficient for the RMT to suspend its strikes elsewhere in the country only yesterday. No jobs are at risk and our plans over the course of the franchise mean we will need more guards, not fewer.”
The rail operator said it will see what extra services it can run to keep passengers moving.