‘THE Southern guards strike will go ahead, despite any legal challenge,’ RMT Assistant General Secretary Mick Lynch said defiantly on the eve of their three-day strike, beginning today.
Guards walk out at 6am and are forming picket lines outside stations up and down the line from London Bridge to Brighton. Southern confirmed last Friday that they would carry out their threat that they will sack the lot of them if they strike.
On the legal challenge, General Secretary Mick Cash said: ‘RMT can confirm the receipt of a formal legal challenge from Southern Rail in the guards’ safety dispute. It is appalling that rather than sitting down with us at ACAS today to seek a resolution, the company have chosen to run to the courts under the cloak of the anti-union laws.’
Meanwhile, according to the RMT, a leaked briefing memo from the self-styled ‘independent’ Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) shows that not only is Southern Rail boss Charles Horton a key player in the train-company funded organisation but that they also advocate the sacking of train guards as the way to maximise profits.
On this issue, Cash said: ‘This incendiary, leaked briefing blows apart the repeated claims from Southern rail that RSSB is an independent organisation and it also exposes the fact that this outfit is up to its neck in discussions about sacking guards to maximise profits of the train companies who fund it.’
• RMT says:
‘Join us at our Westminster protest on Nov 1st and tell MPs to Sack Southern.
Sack Southern Protest Demo & Rally
1st Nov 2016
Protest
12.30-13.30 outside
Parliament
Assemble opposite Old Palace Yard
Rally Committee Room 10
Inside Parliament
14.00-15.30
