Rail staff to vote on series of stoppages

RAIL SERVICES throughout the country face disruption this autumn after the industry's biggest union pressed ahead yesterday with plans for the first walkout for five years.

Leaders of the RMT union are understood to have called a ballot among thousands of guards in the country's train operating companies in protest at proposals to change their status. Voting is expected to begin late next week during the Labour Party's annual conference in Bournemouth, where ministers will inevitably face questions about the dispute.

Senior RMT officials are confident of a vote giving the leadership the authority to call 24-hour strikes initially but the power to lengthen the stoppages if the dispute continues.

Jimmy Knapp, general secretary of the union, said guards were concerned that changes to the industry's rule book would turn them from workers with operational and safety responsibilities to "ticket collectors". At the moment, for example, guards are "in charge" of trains when there has been an accident. Under the proposals they would be responsible only for the inside of the train and passengers while the driver would deal with the exterior.

The union believes the proposals would also pave the way for the employment of "cheaper" staff with minimal training. Mr Knapp suspended an earlier decision to call a ballot after Railtrack promised to discuss the amendments, but a source at the union said the company reneged on the review.