New strike dates announced for South West Railway
Five days of industrial action are planned by the RMT Union on services run by South West Railway from 23rd to 27th October inclusive. The train company believe that their contingency plans mean that 2/3 of trains should run as normal.
Please note GWR services through Somerset are not impacted by the strike. Services through Crewkerne, Yeovil and Templecombe will be.
For more information on timetabling changes please see https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/rmt-industrial-action/23-to-27-october
Meanwhile the dispute between train company and Union is no nearer resolution. The Leveller understands that further industrial action is provisionally planned for 3rd 17th and 24th November,
Back in August the RMT Union expressed their frustration with South West Railway that despite having benefited from “a fares windfall that will pump up their profits” following the announcement of fares increases for 2019, “They have plenty of money to employ guards on their trains and to sign off the guard guarantee the union has achieved elsewhere”
The essence of this dispute is that South West Railway believe guards on trains are no longer necessary and the RMT Union believes they are. The train company believes technological advances make the role of guards redundant and the Union believe they are essential to passenger safety.