RMT Suspends Strike Action on South Western Railway
Four days of disruption were planned on the network later this month
March 5, 2020
Rail Union RMT has announced that it has suspended planned strike action on the South Western Railway network.
Services would have been disrupted on four days later this month - Monday 9, Tuesday 10, Thursday 12 & Friday 13 March.
The union says that it has taken the move 'in good faith' to allow further talks to take place.
A spokesperson for South Western Railway said, "We are pleased for our customers and colleagues that next week’s strikes have been suspended, we hope that we can now find a solution to bring a permanent end to this dispute for everyone’s sake.
"We are now working hard to reinstate the full timetable for next week."
The union and management have been in a long term dispute over the role of guards on the new trains the company is introducing which are designed to give drivers control of operating the doors.
There was an extended strike by RMT members working for the company towards the end of last year which ended without a resolution of the dispute.
South Western Railway has recently disclosed accounts which show the franchise has made substantial loses and Grant Shapps, the Minister at the Department for Transport, has said that the government is actively considering nationalisation as an option for the network.