More trouble for Southern: Card payment failure hits rush hour August 22, 2016 Customers of Southern Rail, already fuming over ongoing service delays and then strike action, were dealt another blow on the morning rush hour commute. The rail network was unable to accept card payments for tickets at some of its stations due to an unspecified technical problem early on Monday, leaving many customers in long queues or failing to [...]
Southern Rail could be hit by yet another strike as union members hold ballot over ticket office closures August 19, 2016 And so it continues. Ticket office and platform staff at Southern Rail's parent company, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), are voting again on whether to go on strike. This time the ballot is around a dispute over ticket office closures and job losses, the TSSA rail union said today. Read more: Talks between Southern Rail and RMT break down [...]
Economists blast “anachronistic system” system of setting rail fares as ticket prices set to rise August 17, 2016 More misery was piled on to beleaguered commuters yesterday as a hike in rail fares was unveiled. Fares will rise by an average of 1.9 per cent next year following the release of July’s retail price index (RPI), against which fare increases are pegged. RPI rose from 1.6 per cent. The jump in fares comes as rail [...]
Blame Jeremy Corbyn for the increasing number of public sector strikes August 16, 2016 The total number of working days lost through labour disputes last year was, at just 170,000, the second lowest annual total since records began in 1891. What a difference a year can make. Southern Rail commuters have endured months of misery due to the prolonged series of strikes called by the RMT. Union members on Eurostar [...]
RMT vote in favour of station staff strikes on Govia network following planned ticket office closure August 16, 2016 The Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) announced 70 per cent of members had voted in favour of further strike action on the Govia Thameslink (GTR) network. The total number of people balloted was 407 of which 120 voted against the action with a further six spoilt votes – a sizeable increase in the "no" vote compared to recent votes on industrial action. [...]
The roller-coaster ride that is the Southern Rail dispute takes a new turn as talks break down August 15, 2016 Arbitration talks to end the dispute between the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) Union and Southern Rail have broken down. In news that will send shivers down the spines of many of the capital's commuters, the RMT said that Southern had rejected "solid" proposals in relation to the role of guards (or "second persons") on the trains. [...]
GTR vows to modernise services as talks with RMT end without agreement August 15, 2016 Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has vowed to move ahead with its modernisation plans after talks with RMT ended without any agreement. GTR, the parent company of embattled Southern Rail, said it will move forward after talks broke down with the RMT union at Acas. An Acas spokesperson said: "Acas conciliation talks have ended without the sides reaching [...]
More proof Southern’s still a total basket case after timetable changes August 14, 2016 After a week of travel misery among commuters with strikes on Southern Rail, commuters who feel like they're getting a raw deal will be unsurprised to hear that new figures show the operator continues to be beleaguered by cancellations and delays – despite efforts to improve. One in five Southern services are still not running on time, just [...]
Southern Rail is still running its services based on the strike timetable August 11, 2016 Commuters may have breathed a sigh of relief yesterday, when the Southern Rail strike was called off – but it actually hasn't made much of a difference to service today. The rail company said this morning that it is still running services based on its strike timetable. Today's service will be based on the strike [...]
Cashing in: RMT boss Mick Cash’s “telephone-number” salary sparks outrage as Britain’s commuters face three-pronged strike attack August 11, 2016 The union boss at the centre of a three-pronged attack on Britain’s commuters and holidaymakers earned £137,344 last year, outraging MPs and grassroots campaigners. RMT general secretary Mick Cash received a near seven per cent increase in salary and pension in 2015, at £8,900, for leading Britain’s 15th largest trade union. By comparison, Len McCluskey, [...]