Southern Rail guards to stage five-day strike from August 8 in dispute over roles
The disaster-struck rail service has been hit by another bump after guards announced they will strike next month
GUARDS at disaster-struck Southern Rail have announced they will stage a five-day strike on August 8.
The decision comes after a long-running dispute over the future of their roles, the RMT union has said.
It today confirmed the move due to a "point blank refusal by both the company and the Government to engage with the union".
Southern Rail has been plagued with delays for weeks due to industrial action - with thousands of furious commuters staging protests.
After an angry backlash on social media from passengers, the RMT agreed to pause action for three-months if the company suspended proposals for driver-operated doors and allowed talks to take place.
A union spokesman said: "That request has been kicked back in our faces."
RMT general secretary Mick Cash added: "This action has been forced on us by the arrogance and inaction of Govia Thameslink and the Government who have made it clear they have no interest in resolving this dispute or in tackling the daily chaos on Southern.
"Our fight is with the company and the Government who have dragged this franchise into total meltdown. We share the anger and frustration of passengers and we cannot sit back while jobs and safety are compromised on these dangerously overcrowded trains.
Govia Thameslink Railway Chief Operating Officer Dyan Crowther said:
“It is unacceptable that passengers are being made to suffer five days of disruption all because the RMT is refusing to work with us and modernise the railway for the benefit of our customers. We have guaranteed all our onboard staff a job until the end of the franchise, as valued members of our future operation, with no reduction in salary.
“We value the work of our staff, who are trying their best to deliver service levels that passengers expect. The sooner we can introduce the essential modernisation that our railways desperately need, the sooner we will address the current capacity and performance issues and deliver a better service for our passengers.
“Contrary to the RMT’s accusation, we have always been open to talks and remain so. Only this week we spoke with the General Secretary Mick Cash about further talks and he has been unwilling to enter into discussion.”
Commuters took part in a protest against the train company at Victoria station earlier this month after a series of delays and cancellations.
The Twitter hashtag #SouthernFail began picking up steam as the company failed to get trains off on time on a regular basis.
Southern Rail strike dates
Guards will go on strike for five days from Monday August 8 - bang in the middle of school holidays.
Southern is owned by Govia Thameslink Railway, who plans to implement changes to conductor's roles from August 21.
Charles Horton, CEO of Govia Thameslink, which runs Southern Rail, spoke to furious customers at Victoria station at a "meet the manager"event following a series of complaints.
One suited commuter was heard yelling at Horton despite the generally good-natured atmosphere.
Alex Snelling,who witnessed the incident, told the at the time: "He just suddenly seemed to start shouting at Charles Horton and very, very quickly the British Transport Police intervened to calm things down."
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