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 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-45761480
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 2 | Version 3 |
---|---|
Northern Railway workers strike in guard dispute | |
(35 minutes later) | |
A long-running dispute over train guards has led to further rail strikes. | A long-running dispute over train guards has led to further rail strikes. |
Talks between the RMT union and Northern Railway collapsed, meaning only about 30% of Northern's services will run on Saturday, with more strikes planned for 13 and 20 October. | |
The strikes are expected to affect people attending the Liverpool Giants street theatre festival, which is set to draw a crowd of thousands. | |
South Western Railway union members began a 48-hour strike on Friday. | |
Northern said "very few trains" would be running throughout Saturday, with no services at all on some routes. | |
It warned that trains would be "extremely busy". | |
The firm advised passengers to "plan their travel carefully" and for those visiting Liverpool particularly to seek alternative means of travel where possible. | |
Northern remained "ready to talk" to unions, it said. | |
Passengers have taken to Twitter to express their frustration, with one saying they were "stranded at Preston station for an hour waiting on a 2 & a 1/2 hour connecting bus to Manchester". | |
Another pointed out the inconvenience to travellers. | |
Some people complaining on social media about the lack of trains appeared not to realise there was a strike. | |
Others showed support for the union's position. | |
The RMT is demanding guarantees that guards will remain on trains and that the roll-out of "driver-only operation" is stopped. | The RMT is demanding guarantees that guards will remain on trains and that the roll-out of "driver-only operation" is stopped. |
General Secretary Mick Cash claimed Northern had shown a "pig-headed attitude" during talks at the conciliation service ACAS. | General Secretary Mick Cash claimed Northern had shown a "pig-headed attitude" during talks at the conciliation service ACAS. |
Northern's deputy managing director Richard Allan said the RMT "unilaterally changed the basis of what they were prepared to talk about". | Northern's deputy managing director Richard Allan said the RMT "unilaterally changed the basis of what they were prepared to talk about". |
The strike action would "only cause further unnecessary difficulty for customers", he said. | The strike action would "only cause further unnecessary difficulty for customers", he said. |