Posted 6th October 2016 | 3 Comments
Southern/RMT talks fail: strikes to go ahead
The RMT said it had tabled an offer which would have seen conductors become on board supervisors but retain their safety-critical duties for a transitional period while a long term solution was found.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said he was 'angry and disappointed', and that there had been a 'real chance of getting a negotiated solution on track'.
GTR chief executive Charles Horton said the RMT offer 'didn't come anywhere near our goals of modernising our train service'.
He continued: "All they have offered is a superficial rebadging in name only. What the RMT want to do is retain their power and control by insisting our trains cannot run under any circumstances without a conductor on board."
Southern said its modernisation plans would now go ahead.
Reader Comments:
Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.
Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex
Theresa May in her speech to the Conservative Party Conference talked about putting workers on boards. So perhaps she could start with workers representatives on Govia board given in runs TSGN on behalf of the government!
Tony Pearce, Reading
It is probably much too late for the RMT to stop Driver-Only Operation throughout the entire Network as most workings are DOO and there have been little or none Safety Issues. There are plenty of reasons why the Government wants the RMT defeated. The Union could if it wanted get a really good redundancy package for Guards.
James palma, London.
As long as it gets people to and from where they need to be i am sure most people don't care.