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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Christmas rail strikes announced by two rail companies | Christmas rail strikes announced by two rail companies |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Workers at two rail companies are set to strike over the Christmas period in a dispute over "guards and safety". | Workers at two rail companies are set to strike over the Christmas period in a dispute over "guards and safety". |
| Members of the RMT Union employed by Greater Anglia are set to walk out for 24 hours on 27 December, while those employed by South Western Railway will do the same on 31 December. | Members of the RMT Union employed by Greater Anglia are set to walk out for 24 hours on 27 December, while those employed by South Western Railway will do the same on 31 December. |
| It comes after a meeting with Transport Secretary Chris Grayling on Tuesday. | It comes after a meeting with Transport Secretary Chris Grayling on Tuesday. |
| South Western Railway said it would put "contingency plans" in place should the strikes go ahead. | |
| The BBC has contacted the Department for Transport and Greater Anglia for comment. | |
| The union said it had received "contradictory messages, confusion and lack of clarity" from the meeting. | The union said it had received "contradictory messages, confusion and lack of clarity" from the meeting. |
| The RMT said it was told in the meeting, which was also attended by the rail minister Paul Maynard, that the Government was "not opposed to a second person on a train". | The RMT said it was told in the meeting, which was also attended by the rail minister Paul Maynard, that the Government was "not opposed to a second person on a train". |
| But Mick Cash, RMT General Secretary, said: "Within an hour of that meeting I received letter from Chris Grayling asking the union to accept the principle of driver-only operation." | But Mick Cash, RMT General Secretary, said: "Within an hour of that meeting I received letter from Chris Grayling asking the union to accept the principle of driver-only operation." |
| A South Western Railway spokesman said it had "repeatedly assured" the RMT it planned to keep guards on trains. | |
| The spokesman added: "We are extremely disappointed that the RMT executive has decided to inflict more disruption on our passengers by calling more unnecessary industrial action, especially when so many people need to travel to be with friends and family for the New Year celebrations." | |
| Anthony Smith, chief executive of the independent watchdog Transport Focus, urged all parties to resolve the matter "without bringing the railway to a standstill". | |
| He added: "Yet more strikes are being dumped on passengers who may have to cancel plans or endure disrupted journeys over Christmas." |