Rail union calls four more strikes in dispute over guards' safety role
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Your support makes all the difference.Rail services will be suspended across Britain on four days next month after union leaders said last night that strikes over the role of rail guards would continue.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) said its members at 12 train companies would walk out on Tuesday 6 May, Wednesday 7 May, Tuesday 27 May and Wednesday 28 May.
There have been three days of strikes so far with the one last Thursday – one of the busiest days for rail travel of the year – being the most disruptive. During that strike only 10 per cent of services ran on some lines and fewer than 60 per cent of trains ran overall.
The RMT has campaigned for years to restore the safety role of guards to the industry's operating rule book, which it maintains would improve the safety of passengers without costing companies any money. The Government has said that the strike action is unnecessary and points out that the safety role of guards is under review by the industry's safety body. A spokeswoman for the Association of Train Operating Companies said: "We are disappointed that the RMT has called more pointless and unnecessary strike action.
"There is a correct procedure for dealing with issues regarding the safety role of guards and train operators are working to that. The way to resolve this dispute is to speak to Railway Safety, not through strike action.''
The companies affected are Arriva Trains Merseyside, Central Trains, Connex South Eastern, South Central, Midland Mainline, ScotRail, Silverlink, Thames Trains, Virgin West Coast, Virgin Cross Country, Wales and Border and Wessex Trains. Peter Cotton managing director of ScotRail, said it was a "needless, pointless dispute".
But Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT, said: "The employers know that it will cost them nothing to settle this dispute but they have made no effort whatsoever to come to an agreement. This is a dispute about safety pure and simple. The guards' role has been watered down and it needs to be restored to the rule book in full.''
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