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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2016/dec/13/southern-rail-strike-after-court-rejects-appeal-live-updates
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| Southern rail strike begins after court rejects appeal – live updates | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 8.44am GMT | |
| 08:44 | |
| In that video message London mayor Sadiq Khan urged the government to give Transport for London control of commuter lines like Southern, Southeastern and South West. | |
| Addressing commuters he said: “You pay too much for delays, cancellations and disruption. You deserve a better service. Southern commuters have been abandoned by the Government. You’ve had months of chaos. But it doesn’t have to be like this.” | |
| The mayor urged commuters to write to the Transport Secretary and the Prime Minister for TfL to have control - promising a “more frequent and more reliable” service “with fewer strikes” and “more affordable fares”. | |
| He added: “This is far more important than party politics. Together we can secure the decent and affordable commute that you deserve.” | |
| Southern rail passengers have been abandoned by the Government. You deserve a better service. #SouthernRail pic.twitter.com/UV7lPFkpV2 | |
| 8.41am GMT | |
| 08:41 | |
| Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Grayling said: “There’s a lot of things after this is over we are going to have to take a careful look at. We can’t leave our railways exposed. | |
| “There are issues on this line that go beyond just the issue of these strikes. | |
| Asked what he would do to stop future strikes, Grayling said: “We are thinking very carefully about how we take things forward. I’m not going to rule anything in or anything out today. | |
| “There is a lot to think about when this strike is over. The important thing now is to get the services running again.” | |
| 8.34am GMT | |
| 08:34 | |
| Chris Grayling says the government will look “very carefully” at possible changes to strike rules on railways to prevent the kind of action taking place today. | |
| 8.32am GMT | |
| 08:32 | |
| Paul Plummer, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, representing train operators, claimed rail companies are trying to modernise the way they work to give customers better services. | |
| He added: “Hundreds of thousands of passengers are suffering needless disruption because of these strikes - despite independent expert evidence that safety isn’t at risk. Trains where drivers close the doors are safe. | |
| “The truth is that these strikes are not about safety, not about jobs and not about customer service.” | |
| 8.30am GMT | |
| 08:30 | |
| Mick Whelan, general secretary of the driver union Aslef, has accused Grayling of being “less than honest on all counts”, PA reports. | |
| He also referred to a speech made at a public meeting in Croydon earlier this year by a DfT official. | |
| “Earlier this year Peter Wilkinson, the 265,000 a year director of rail passenger services, said on a public platform that the aim of the DfT is to force train drivers - men and women he derisively referred to as ‘muppets’ - ‘out of my industry’. | |
| “Mr Wilkinson said he was determined to provoke industrial confrontation and, indeed, was looking forward to ‘punch-ups’ with trade unions. | |
| “The strikes this week are not, whatever Mr Grayling tries to suggest, politically motivated. We have a trade dispute with GTR/Southern, and only a poor government would seek to spin it any other way. I think their motives are clear.” | |
| 8.20am GMT | |
| 08:20 | |
| Damien Gayle | |
| Back on Balham station Joseph Volcy, 32, is wondering how she well ever get to work at a digital marketing company. | |
| “I just didn’t know and it’s awful, by the way I’m seeing it I won’t get to work until 11, because it’s in Kingston. | |
| “I need to get on my phone, talk to all my clients one by one. | |
| “It’s not the first time. I’m really disappointed. The train is never on time, sometimes it says it’s coming and just disappears. I’m thinking I have to move house. It’s bad because it really affects your morale.” | |
| 8.17am GMT | |
| 08:17 | |
| Sadiq Khan says government have abandoned passengers | |
| London mayor Sadiq Khan has accused the government of abandoning Southern rail commuters. | |
| Southern rail passengers have been abandoned by the Government. You deserve a better service. #SouthernRail pic.twitter.com/UV7lPFkpV2 | |
| 8.13am GMT | |
| 08:13 | |
| Damien Gayle | |
| Damien Gayle has been talking to angry commuters at Balham station in south London. | |
| Jessica Knight, 23, was on her way to work at Saviles estate agent in Richmond. | |
| “It’s a pain in the arse,” she said. “I’ll have to work from home. My boss won’t be happy. | |
| “I didn’t realise it was completely not working. It’s really annoying because there’s so many people trying to get to work and do their jobs. They need to sort it out really.” | |
| Asked if she had any sympathy for those taking strike action, she replied: “No, I couldn’t care less.” | |
| 8.10am GMT | |
| 08:10 | |
| RMT General Secretary Mick Cash has rejected government claims that the strike is political and urged the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling to end a “misinformation” about the action. | |
| In a statement he said: | |
| “This morning Chris Grayling claimed again that the action on Southern is political - it isn’t, it’s about safe train operation for both passengers and staff alike. The transport secretary wants to ask himself why the unions have been able to resolve disputes and reach agreements on Scotrail and elsewhere if our motivation is purely political. | |
| “Mr Grayling also claimed again that the RSSB is an independent safety body - it isn’t, it’s funded by the private train companies.“Finally, Mr Grayling claimed that there is a campaign of unofficial action organised by the unions - there isn’t, and the evidence points to Southern sabotaging services to try and turn the blame onto the staff.”“Now is the time for Chris Grayling to make it clear that all of that rhetoric and misinformation is being swept away and that both him and his contractors, GTR, are serious about talks with the union’s involved in today’s action.” | |
| Cash’s statement added: | |
| “RMT drivers on Southern Rail are standing shoulder to shoulder with their ASLEF colleagues this morning in a fight for safe train operation. This strike action is wholly the responsibility of a government and a company that have sought to bulldoze through changes that are ill-conceived, finance-led and fraught with danger. | |
| “RMT remembers only too well the words of top government transport official Peter Wilkinson who told Southern passengers he wanted a punch-up with the unions, that train drivers were muppets and that he would starve our members back to work. | |
| “That was the top Government rail official making it clear he was hell bent on confrontation and it is that position which has led us to today’s shutdown.” | |
| 8.01am GMT | 8.01am GMT |
| 08:01 | 08:01 |
| Welcome to our live coverage of the latest Southern rail strike, which looks set to be the most disruptive yet. | Welcome to our live coverage of the latest Southern rail strike, which looks set to be the most disruptive yet. |
| The strike by train drivers has brought services to a complete halt after the court of appeal rejected a second attempt by the rail company to block the action. | The strike by train drivers has brought services to a complete halt after the court of appeal rejected a second attempt by the rail company to block the action. |
| Judges upheld last week’s ruling by the high court to dismiss claims by Southern’s owner, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), that industrial action called by the train drivers’ union, Aslef, infringed rights under European law. | Judges upheld last week’s ruling by the high court to dismiss claims by Southern’s owner, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), that industrial action called by the train drivers’ union, Aslef, infringed rights under European law. |
| All of Southern’s 2,242 weekday services have been cancelled, causing the worst disruption for more than 20 years. | All of Southern’s 2,242 weekday services have been cancelled, causing the worst disruption for more than 20 years. |
| Aslef members have mounted picket lines outside stations at the start of the 48-hour walkout in a dispute over driver-only trains. Another strike is planned for Friday. | Aslef members have mounted picket lines outside stations at the start of the 48-hour walkout in a dispute over driver-only trains. Another strike is planned for Friday. |
| Commuters are planning a protest outside the Department for Transport on Thursday evening. | Commuters are planning a protest outside the Department for Transport on Thursday evening. |
| The transport secretary, Chris Grayling, has continued to blame the unions for the months of disruption to Southern services and urged them to sit down with the company to resolve long-running disputes over driver-only trains and changes to the role of conductors. | The transport secretary, Chris Grayling, has continued to blame the unions for the months of disruption to Southern services and urged them to sit down with the company to resolve long-running disputes over driver-only trains and changes to the role of conductors. |
| But Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport union attacked the government, saying ministers had been preventing Southern from negotiating properly. | But Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport union attacked the government, saying ministers had been preventing Southern from negotiating properly. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 8.06am GMT | at 8.06am GMT |