SWR STRIKE ACTION

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: july/august 2018 :: RMTnews 4 R MT members on South Western Railway launched programme of industrial action in July. However the union has agreed to suspend the next 24 hours of strike action to allow for further talks around the issue of the guard guarantee. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said the union had continued to work hard to reach a negotiated settlement over the guards' safety dispute. “Our members are striking again to put public safety before private profits and it’s about time SWR took note of what is going on elsewhere in the rail industry, and the settlements RMT has struck that underpin the guard guarantee, and started talking with us seriously around a similar package that puts safety, security and access to services top of the agenda,” he said. The union has argued that axing guards and cutting station staff has left disabled passengers stranded with Govia Thameslink Railways a repeat offender which flies in the face of the Department of Transport’s latest accessibility strategy report. “That is why we call on the rail industry, and specifically South Western Railway where we are striking over the threat to the guards, to recognise this fact and guarantee that the guard will be on board the train to deliver accessibility for all,” said Mick Cash. SWR STRIKE ACTION Waterloo Fratton Bournemouth