CALLING for urgent talks, rail union RMT yesterday repeated its offer to suspend Southern strike action.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: ‘I have written to Charles Horton today calling for talks to get back underway immediately in the Southern guards dispute. The union believes that there is a deal to be done based around the ScotRail principles and that we need to pick up on the progress that was being made when the talks broke down on Friday afternoon. It is in no one’s interests to prolong this dispute when the framework that can take us forward has been so clearly laid out.’
Mick Cash added: ‘RMT members on Southern stand solid, determined and united again this morning on the second day of this phase of strike action. Our message that rail safety has to be put before the profits of Govia Thameslink is ringing out loud and clear. The union thanks the travelling public for their understanding and support as we stand up against this failing and greedy rail operator. Our fight is your fight.’
The RMT confirmed it will be holding a protest at 8am this morning, Wednesday 10 August, at the Department for Transport, 33 Horseferry Road, SW1, ‘over the sabotage of talks in the Southern dispute’.
It will be demanding that ‘the government lift their blockade on a peace deal in the Southern guards dispute that mirrors the offer on Scotrail – an offer that enabled the union to suspend all industrial action in that dispute’.
Mick Cash said: ‘RMT can confirm that we were within an inch of making progress towards boxing off a deal with Southern in ACAS talks on Friday afternoon that was based on the offer from Scotrail, an offer that enabled us to suspend all industrial action in the Scotrail guards dispute.
‘We were just getting into the detailed wording when suddenly the plug was pulled and our legs were kicked from under us. We have it on good authority that the deal, which would have enabled us to suspend the Southern strike action this week, was sabotaged by the government with their Director of Rail Peter Wilkinson directing operations from outside the talks.
‘We are now taking our protest direct to the DfT. We want the government to stop weaponising the Southern dispute for political purposes and we want them to stop treating passengers and staff as collateral damage in a war that Peter Wilkinson has unilaterally declared on the rail unions. The government need to lift the blockade on the peace talks.’
• RMT members at Virgin East Coast have voted for strike action over a package of measures which would threaten jobs, working conditions and safety.
