Strikes set for the Northern line
The North is set to face industrial action from workers on the Arriva Rail North line after a ballot this week.
Just over 83% of those that voted in the ballot for strike action, and 93.5% voted for action short of a strike according to rail union RMT.
The dispute which prompted the ballot relates to the role of train guards.
RMT has insisted that drivers should be accompanied by guards on all trains except in special circumstances, but Arriva North, it says, has refused to give any guarantees about the future role of the guard on their services.
Members of the union have agreed not to book on for any shifts between 00.01 and 23.59 on 13 March.
RMT members at Southern also voted for strike action on the same day.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: “RMT members have voted by a massive majority for both strike action and action short of a strike on Arriva Rail North in a dispute which is all about putting public safety before private profit. The company now has the best part of two weeks to sit down with us, address the core issues at the heart of this dispute and negotiate a settlement before the action commences.
“The union’s position on Driver Only Operation (DOO) is perfectly clear. We will not agree to any extensions of DOO and will fight to retain the safety critical role of the guard and to keep a guard on the train. The company have been made well aware of that.
“This dispute, and the campaign of industrial action we have announced today, were entirely preventable if the company had listened to the unions deep-seated safety concerns, had taken them seriously, stuck to their earlier commitments and had put passenger safety before profit.
“The company’s intransigence has forced our hand and given us to option but to announce industrial action. The disruption to services will be entirely down to Arriva Rail North reneging on their earlier commitments. The union remains available for genuine and meaningful talks and we expect the company to take up that offer as a matter of urgency.”
At an unrelated talk later today,Chris Burchell, managing director of UK Trains at Arriva and chairman of the Rail Delivery Group will say: “I want to see the ongoing industrial disputes resolved as quickly as possible, and all sides need to recognise that the way we work is changing. There can be no attachment to old ways of working. Failure to modernise puts future investment at significant risk.”
