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Fresh Rail Strikes Hit Services Across England by kandyj(f): 9:29am On Oct 05, 2017 |
Rail strikes across England are under way for the second
time this week.
RMT union members at Southern, Merseyrail, Arriva Rail
North and Greater Anglia have begun a 24-hour walkout.
The industrial action is over plans to make train doors
driver-only operated.
Rail companies have said this means a guard is no longer
needed but some workers believe safety procedures would
be compromised.
Union members at South Western have also voted to strike,
but any action first needs to be agreed with the executive
body. The operator said it planned to increase numbers of
drivers and guards and urged its staff to "avoid premature
strike action"
The strikes have coincided with a planned closure of
Liverpool Lime Street for refurbishment, something the boss
of Merseyrail, Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde, said "doubled
up the inconvenience".
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: "There is no safety
issue, on Northern they haven't even set out in detail plans
for how the new trains are going to work.
"Merseyrail have bought new trains in the wake of a safety
investigation that recommended they take this approach.
"I'm afraid leading figures of the RMT have made it clear
they are in a political battle with the government and the
passengers are pawns, and I feel desperately sorry for the
passengers."
A Southern spokesman said: "Today will be the 36th day of
RMT strikes and we, like our passengers and the vast
majority of our colleagues, simply want an end to this
unnecessary dispute."
Passenger services director Angie Doll added: "The RMT is
striking about changes we made almost a year ago as part
of our modernisation programme.
"Nobody has lost their job over this, in fact we employ more
on-board staff to help passengers than we did before, and
we are providing a better service with fewer cancelled
trains."
Northern Rail's regional director, Sharon Keith, said she
wants to work with the unions.
"We're in the middle of a large modernisation agenda so
we're investing in new trains [and] refurbished trains and
what we want to do with our people is to modernise that
role."
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said union members
"stand solid, united and determined this morning in the latest
phase of strike action".
"Political and public support is flooding in as our
communities choose to stand by their guards against the
financially and politically motivated drive to throw safety-
critical staff off our trains," he added.
"Again this morning I am calling on Theresa May and Chris
Grayling to call off the centrally imposed blockade on
serious talks in these disputes and allow us to get on with
genuine negotiations with their contractors."
Greater Anglia said a "full, normal service with no service
alterations" was operating despite the industrial action.
Some routes operated by Southern will not run, and others
will be a "limited service", running only at peak times.
Arriva Rail North says it will run a reduced service, and
warned passengers the trains that do run are likely to be
very busy.
Merseyrail is running reduced services and some stations
will be closed.
Industrial action by London Underground drivers that would
have coincided with the rail strike was called off following
talks between management and the ASLEF union. |
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