South Western Railway strikes set to cause travel misery for Christmas shoppers

A strike by rail workers in the long-running dispute over guards on trains will cause travel misery for passengers in the Portsmouth area this weekend.
By Kieran Davey
Published 7th Dec 2019, 10:48 BST
Updated 7th Dec 2019, 10:49 BST
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Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union on South Western Railway walked out this morning for the sixth time since last Monday as part of 27 days of industrial action this month.

Picket lines have been mounted outside stations across the network, causing huge disruption on one of the busiest shopping weekends of Christmas.

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Many services have been cancelled or replaced by buses and those that were running were expected to be much busier than normal.

Hundreds of thousands of rail passengers face travel misery during a series of strikes in the long-running dispute over guards on trains. Picture: Luke Powell/PA WireHundreds of thousands of rail passengers face travel misery during a series of strikes in the long-running dispute over guards on trains. Picture: Luke Powell/PA Wire
Hundreds of thousands of rail passengers face travel misery during a series of strikes in the long-running dispute over guards on trains. Picture: Luke Powell/PA Wire
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South Western Railway train workers to strike in December 2019 - dates and how y...

The dispute over the role of guards remains deadlocked more than two years since it flared up.

The two sides have exchanged letters in recent days, with the union calling for fresh talks at the conciliation service Acas.

The RMT says the dispute now centres on whether guards should have a few seconds to make sure trains leave platforms safely.

Workers on South Western Railway are to strike for 27 days in December in the long-running dispute over guards on trains, the RMT union said. PA Photo. Photo: Victoria Jones/PA WireWorkers on South Western Railway are to strike for 27 days in December in the long-running dispute over guards on trains, the RMT union said. PA Photo. Photo: Victoria Jones/PA Wire
Workers on South Western Railway are to strike for 27 days in December in the long-running dispute over guards on trains, the RMT union said. PA Photo. Photo: Victoria Jones/PA Wire
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SWR managing director Andy Mellors said in a letter that further talks must be on the proviso that the union has a ‘new solution’ to safely delivering over 10 million more peak-time passenger journeys on time each year.

An RMT spokesman said: ‘The union will continue to push for a negotiated settlement that protects passenger safety and our members remain rock-solid in the ongoing action.

‘We are bitterly disappointed that the company are throwing obstacles in the way of a settlement which is about nothing more than three seconds extra time on the despatch process in the interests of safety.’

Here are the dates for the strikes this month:

- From 12.01am on Monday, December 2 until 11.59 on Wednesday, December 11

- From 12.01am on Friday, December 13 until 11.59pm on Tuesday, December 24 (Christmas Eve)

- From 12.0am on Friday, December 27 until 11.59pm on January 1, 2020.

Related topics:PortsmouthRMT