08.08.16
RMT’s five-day strike on Southern starts
The RMT’s five-day strike in the bitter dispute with Southern over plans to expand driver-only operated (DOO) services started on Monday 8 August.
Hundreds of thousands of commuters will be affected by the action, which is the longest rail strike since 1968. Under a revised timetable, the operator has said it plans to run almost 60% of its normal services from Monday 8 August to Friday 12 August, rather than the 85% it has been running since last month.
Talks aimed at resolving the row collapsed at Acas last Friday in mutual recrimination.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “The strike action this morning is rock solid across the Southern rail network as we fight to put rail safety before the profits of the failed Govia Thameslink operation.
“This action has been forced on us by the arrogance and inaction of Govia Thameslink and the government, who have made it clear that they have no interest in resolving this dispute or in tackling the daily chaos on Southern.”
The union has called on GTR, Southern’s parent company, to match terms offered by ScotRail in a similar dispute.
Charles Horton, chief executive of Southern, said he was “deeply sorry” for any inconvenience caused.
“Many people's lives are being turned upside down by this strike action by the RMT trade union, which is unacceptable, it is unnecessary and it is unjustified,” he told BBC radio 5.
Ahead of the strike action, London mayor, Sadiq Khan, reiterated his previous plea that Transport for London executives should take charge of the Southern franchise to fix the problems that have blighted commuters.
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office said: “Thousands of Londoners and longer-distance commuters are facing further disruption as a result of this strike action.
“The government should accept Sadiq’s offer of putting a senior team from TfL in charge of the GTR Southern franchise until we get a permanent resolution.”
London TravelWatch also renewed its calls for Southern and the DfT to begin talks with TfL to see how they might provide additional help for passengers who are continuing to face unacceptable disruptions to their rail services.
The newly appointed rail minister Paul Maynard, who replaced Clair Perry after her resignation over the Southern dispute, said: “This strike action from the RMT will do nothing other than cause yet more disruption and daily misery for passengers.
“It is deeply disappointing that the union bosses continue to overlook the impact they are having on the travelling public, and I strongly condemn this proposed action.”
Southern was recently forced to cancel 341 services a day in order to try and control the unexpected delays that have blighted the franchise, although it has since restored 16. The operator has refused to give a date for when its cancelled services will be restored. It said the revised timetable will operate “for a minimum three weeks” after the end of the strike on 12 August.
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