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Southern, Merseyrail, Arriva Rail North and Greater Anglia rail staff strike | Southern, Merseyrail, Arriva Rail North and Greater Anglia rail staff strike |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Workers from four different rail companies are to stage two 24-hour strikes in continuing disputes over the role of guards and driver-only trains. | Workers from four different rail companies are to stage two 24-hour strikes in continuing disputes over the role of guards and driver-only trains. |
Members of the RMT union at Southern, Merseyrail, Arriva Rail North and Greater Anglia will walk out on 3 and 5 October. | Members of the RMT union at Southern, Merseyrail, Arriva Rail North and Greater Anglia will walk out on 3 and 5 October. |
The walk outs will coincide with the closure of Liverpool Lime Street station for major refurbishment. | The walk outs will coincide with the closure of Liverpool Lime Street station for major refurbishment. |
It will also be during the Tory Party's annual conference in Manchester. | It will also be during the Tory Party's annual conference in Manchester. |
'Fiasco' dragging on | 'Fiasco' dragging on |
Mick Cash, RMT general secretary, said the union wanted to resolve all the disputes with talks for round-table discussions involving all parties including the Department for Transport. | Mick Cash, RMT general secretary, said the union wanted to resolve all the disputes with talks for round-table discussions involving all parties including the Department for Transport. |
He said the union was "bitterly disappointed" the calls had been rejected leaving "no option but to call further action". | |
"This fiasco cannot be allowed to drag on any longer." | "This fiasco cannot be allowed to drag on any longer." |
Between 30 September and 22 October Network Rail will embark on a major project to overhaul the station, helping cater for a predicted doubling of peak-time passengers by 2043. | |
No trains will enter or leave Lime Street mainline station for nine days, and many will be diverted. | No trains will enter or leave Lime Street mainline station for nine days, and many will be diverted. |
Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde, Merseyrail's managing director, said: "We are busy trying to build a better city region with an improved railway. | Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde, Merseyrail's managing director, said: "We are busy trying to build a better city region with an improved railway. |
"The RMT seem to be doing everything in their power to destroy this work. Don't they want Liverpool to succeed?" | "The RMT seem to be doing everything in their power to destroy this work. Don't they want Liverpool to succeed?" |
Mr Cash recognised the "severe impact the action will have" but said the union was dealing with employers who refuse to listen or engage with the union. | |
'Rejected our offers' | 'Rejected our offers' |
Nick Brown, chief operating officer for Southern's parent company Govia Thameslink Railway, said: "Modernisation is urgently required to future-proof and increase capacity on this, the busiest part of the UK railway, where passenger numbers have doubled in 12 years. | |
"The RMT needs to play its part if passengers are to benefit from service improvements." | |
Richard Allan, Arriva Rail North's deputy managing director, said the firm was modernising local rail with new and refurbished trains, better stations and faster journeys. | |
"RMT continues to reject our offers to talk and we are disappointed that the union has called further strike action. | "RMT continues to reject our offers to talk and we are disappointed that the union has called further strike action. |
"We are still prepared to guarantee jobs and current pay for all our conductors for the next eight years," he said. | |
Richard Dean, train service delivery director at Greater Anglia, said it too was "disappointed". | |
He said it had guaranteed conductors jobs until the end of October 2025. | |
"In fact, we will be recruiting additional conductors, as we are replacing all of our trains with brand new trains from 2019, which will enable us to run more services," he said. | |
The Department for Transport is yet to comment on the announcement. | |
Will your journey be affected by the strike? Will you be taking part in the strike? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | |
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