Rail strike latest: RMT members walk out as Southern train drivers settle

‘We will have a second safety-trained person on every train except in exceptional circumstances’ — Mick Whelan, ASLEF

Safety critical: RMT union members at London Waterloo, Britain's busiest station (Guy Smallman)

Drivers working for Southern Railways have voted by four-to-one to end the long-running dispute over staffing and working practices.

The row over who should open and close the doors on trains has disrupted services sporadically for almost two years.

The agreement between the train drivers’ union, ASLEF, and Southern’s parent company, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), was approved by 79 per cent to 21 per cent, with a turn-out of 87 per cent.

In February, the drivers rejected a deal brokered by the TUC general secretary, Frances O’Grady.

Nick Brown, chief operating officer for Govia Thameslink Railway, said: “This dispute has been difficult for our passengers in particular and we are pleased that we can now move ahead and deliver stability.

“Should, in certain circumstances, a train not have that second person on board then it will still be able to run until a replacement can be provided.

“Driver-only operation has been operating safely for 32 years and now accounts for over a third of the UK rail network.”

Mick Whelan, ASLEF’s general secretary, said: “The agreement means we will have a second safety-trained person on every train covered by this agreement except in exceptional circumstances. That person will have all the relevant safety competence – including the skills to evacuate passengers in an emergency.

“We now look forward to working with Southern Rail to restore good industrial relations and deliver the service passengers in the region deserve.”

But he said the settlement does not have implications for other train operators: “This deal is a resolution to an 18 month long dispute. It is not a template for Britain’s railway in the 21st century.”

The vote sets ASLEF apart from the other big rail union, the RMT, whose members are on strike today over driver-only operation.

Paul Plummer, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, representing train operators, said: “This decision leaves the RMT leadership completely isolated. The travelling public will not thank them for another round of disruptive and unnecessary strike action.”

Members of the RMT have stopped work on Southern, South Western Railway, Greater Anglia, Northern and Merseyrail.

The union’s general secretary, Mick Cash, said: “These strikes are about rail safety and accessibility pure and simple.”

The dispute has spread to South Western Railway because the RMT is seeking assurances about working practices when a new fleet of suburban trains are introduced in 2019.

At Britain’s busiest station, London Waterloo, “contingency guards” working for the train operator were operating some trains. No trains are running on the lines west of Poole and Yeovil Junction, nor on the Isle of Wight.

The action will continue tomorrow on both South Western and Southern.

In the Northern region, the train operator is seeking to run two-thirds of the normal weekday timetable. Most services will finish by 7pm.

The Labour MP for Salford and Eccles, Rebecca Long-Bailey, has weighed in by tweeting: “Solidarity with RMT workers in Manchester today raising serious safety concerns of driver only trains.”

The Office of Rail and Road has said of driver-only operation: “Our inspectors are satisfied that with suitable equipment, proper procedures and competent staff in place, it is a safe method of working.”