As you will be aware our members will be taking strike action on GTR Southern for forty-eight hours from 00.01am on the 7th September.
This dispute is about train and passenger safety and the companies’ decision, supported by the government, to axe the guarantee that passengers currently have of a safety critical conductor on a large proportion of GTR services.
We had hoped not to have to take industrial action but again have been left with no choice.
In July we offered to suspend calling industrial action for three months if the company suspended introducing their proposals in August.
The company refused to do this.
The companies hard line position is also demonstrated by the fact that last month, RMT reached agreement with another train company ScotRail that enabled us to suspend planned industrial action. That agreement guaranteed a Conductor on every new electrified train, the Conductor retaining full competency (including procedures, track safety and evacuation) and that the train service will not run without a fully trained Conductor on board.
RMT asked GTR if we could reach a similar agreement to enable us to suspend industrial action planned on Southern trains.
The company refused to do this.
Yours sincerely
Mick Cash
General Secretary