This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-37026430

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Southern rail strike: Workers and passengers plan protests Southern rail: RMT offers to suspend strike for new talks
(about 1 hour later)
Passengers and the RMT union are planning separate protests on the third day of a five-day conductor's strike on the Southern rail network. A five-day strike on Southern trains will be suspended on Thursday and Friday if the company agrees to new talks without pre-conditions, the RMT union has said.
Southern has cancelled 946 services each day since the strike began on Monday, with disruption affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers. But the rail firm said it was not prepared to talk unless the RMT was willing to discuss an eight-point plan, rejected last Friday.
The RMT and passenger groups will protest outside the Department for Transport (DfT) in central London. Southern has cancelled 946 services each day since action began on Monday.
Govia Thameslink has called the action "pointless, needless and senseless". It has called the strike "pointless, needless and senseless".
Passengers plan to protest outside the Department for Transport (DfT) in central London on Wednesday evening.
Live updates on Southern strikeLive updates on Southern strike
The RMT is opposed to Southern's plans to turn conductors into "on-board supervisors" from 21 August, with drivers taking over responsibility for opening and closing carriage doors. The union wants Southern owner Govia Thameslink (GTR) to match terms being offered by ScotRail in a similar dispute.
The Campaign for Better Transport and the Association of British Commuters want passengers to join their march from London Victoria from 17:30 BST. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "The company [GTR] knows that prescriptive pre-conditions would not allow genuine talks to take place.
They will present a 6ft-tall letter to rail minister Paul Maynard calling on him to attend a "passenger assembly" to answer questions and freeze fares for a year, and compensate customers affected by the dispute. "In an effort to break the deadlock and get the talks process moving, RMT is prepared to suspend strike action set for Thursday and Friday if Southern agree to urgent talks without pre-conditions. The ball is now in their court."
Lianna Etkind, spokeswoman for the Campaign for Better Transport, said: "Southern Rail passengers are fed up with suffering such a poor service. GTR said on Tuesday it would talk to the RMT "any time, any place, anywhere" in a bid to end the strike.
"The ongoing problems need to be addressed and it is time for the Department for Transport to take urgent action to restore public confidence in the franchise." The RMT is fighting Southern plans to turn conductors into "on-board supervisors" from 21 August, with drivers taking over responsibility for opening and closing carriage doors.
Parent company Govia Thameslink (GTR) said on Tuesday it would talk with the RMT "any time, any place, anywhere" in a bid to end the strike. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said on Tuesday: "There is absolutely no excuse for the RMT strikes which are designed to stop essential improvements of passengers' journeys.
GTR said the union rejected an eight-point offer on Friday, but the RMT claimed negotiators were "within an inch" of a deal before it was blocked by the government.
General secretary Mick Cash said it wanted the government to "stop weaponising the Southern dispute for political purposes".
The DfT has denied blocking a potential deal. GTR dismissed the claim as "totally false and a complete red herring".
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: "There is absolutely no excuse for the RMT strikes which are designed to stop essential improvements of passengers' journeys.
"Passengers on Southern rail services are being made to suffer unnecessary inconvenience and disruption to their journeys.
"The union should accept the generous offer being made to them by the train operator and get their members back to work.""The union should accept the generous offer being made to them by the train operator and get their members back to work."
The Campaign for Better Transport and the Association of British Commuters want passengers to join a march from London Victoria from 17:30 BST.
'Sick and tired'
They will present a 6ft-tall letter to rail minister Paul Maynard calling on him to attend a "passenger assembly" to answer questions, freeze fares for a year and arrange better compensation for customers affected by the dispute.
The recently-formed association said it was "sick and tired of the delayed, overcrowded and unreliable services we must endure".
Association spokeswoman Summer Dean, from Brighton, told BBC Sussex: "I would like to see some respect. Passengers are being held to ransom in this dispute and it's about time government stepped in."
Before the latest strike, Southern cut 341 services a day from its weekday timetable to improve reliability.
But Ms Dean said travellers were still "spending hours getting home, missing out on seeing family and friends and putting children to bed" and there was no date for the regular timetable to resume.
A rail users group in east Surrey has accused Southern of a "criminal, epic fail" by running eight trains an hour through Redhill each evening during the strike without any stopping.
The Reigate, Redhill and District Rail Users' Association said passengers were "forced to travel to Gatwick Airport then catch taxis, costing £15 to £20, back to Redhill".
Southern was still to respond to the complaint.