As the County Times goes to press GTR are in the courts seeking an injunction to prevent the train drivers union, ASLEF, from executing their threat of a series of all out strikes starting from Tuesday, 13th December. They have already withdrawn “non-contractual” work – the overtime which has always been used by every rail operator, with the support of drivers, to keep the lines running.
The drivers are striking because they believe that “there should be no introduction and/or extension of new driver-only operated routes on Southern without the agreement of ASLEF”. Driver-only operation is already used by ASLEF members in some 30 per cent of the network and has been in place for over thirty years. Anyone who uses the rail service reading this will have travelled, probably many times, on a driver-operated train without even being aware of the fact. The introduction (after substantial investment) of new trains has led to the extension of this means of working. No conductor is losing their job. Services which currently have a second professional on board will continue to have a second professional on board. In fact it is likely that more people will be working on the trains, routes which currently don’t have a conductor may well have an On Board Supervisor
I have posted on my website a letter from the Director of Rail Safety at the Regulator in which he confirms that driver-only operation has been in operation for many years and specifically refers to Southern’s plans
There are massive challenges on the railways. Southern was under-invested for years but has seen a massive increase in passengers – up some 30 per cent – which makes running the service extremely taut. The Government has put in £6bn to improve the service and build resilience and capacity.
It is vital that all parties work together to secure a modern future for the railway that can continue to meet the needs of the ever-increasing numbers of passengers. Too many lives are being ruined by the ongoing industrial action over an extension of a practice that is already well established and which will not result in the loss of a single job.