UK rail conductors strike at three companies to defend jobs and safety conditions
By
Robert Stevens
13 March 2017
Today’s strike by conductors at three train companies—Arriva Rail Northern, Merseyrail and Southern Rail—to oppose the introduction of Driver Only Operated services (DOO), is a welcome development in the efforts by rail workers to oppose thousands of job losses and the undermining of public safety.
Last month, Southern GTR drivers voted down a sell-out deal, negotiated in private with the company by the train drivers’ union, ASLEF, and the Trades Union Congress (TUC). The deal, fully accepting DOO, followed a year of strikes by conductors and drivers at Southern, which runs services throughout the south of England. Following its rejection, Southern management and ASLEF have resumed private talks at a secret location.
The fact that workers—all members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT)—are striking at three companies over the same issue shows that the expansion of DOO is part of a massive cost-cutting exercise nationally. Led by the Tory government and the private train operators, its aim is to terminate the safety role of the conductor, presently responsible for more than 30 safety-critical tasks on board trains.
This is the thin end of the wedge. Recent studies by rail bodies are considering the introduction, pending technological developments, of fully automated trains, run without either conductors or drivers.
Arriva Rail Northern and Merseyrail—which run services in the north of England—both plan to introduce forms of DOO within three years. Arriva plans to introduce DOO trains as soon as next year. Merseyrail plans to run trains without conductors from 2020.
A circular by the RMT to its members last October stated that…