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South Western Railway guards vote for more strikes | South Western Railway guards vote for more strikes |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Staff at South Western Railway (SWR) have voted to hold more strikes as part of a dispute over the future of guards. | |
The walkouts were supported by more than four-fifths of staff who chose to vote, on a turnout of 59%. | |
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) has not yet announced any strike dates. | The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) has not yet announced any strike dates. |
SWR, which is introducing new trains that allow drivers to operate the doors instead of guards, said it was disappointed with the result. | |
This is the sixth time RMT members have been balloted in a dispute that has been running for two and a half years. | |
The most recent strike, which lasted for 27 days in December, disrupted 600,000 passenger journeys each day. | The most recent strike, which lasted for 27 days in December, disrupted 600,000 passenger journeys each day. |
SWR is planning to introduce new trains on Waterloo to Reading services this summer, which are designed for the driver to operate the doors. | SWR is planning to introduce new trains on Waterloo to Reading services this summer, which are designed for the driver to operate the doors. |
The company has promised to keep a guard "with a safety-critical role" on every train. | |
The RMT has previously said the change would compromise the safety of passengers. | The RMT has previously said the change would compromise the safety of passengers. |
Of 850 union members eligible to vote, 505 chose to do so. Of those, 416 voted in favour of strike action. | Of 850 union members eligible to vote, 505 chose to do so. Of those, 416 voted in favour of strike action. |
'Not sustainable' | 'Not sustainable' |
In a statement, SWR said it was "obviously disappointed" by the decision to strike, which it said was approved by less than half of eligible union members. | |
It added: "We hope the RMT will use the next few weeks as a window of opportunity to work with us to find a solution so that our passengers do not suffer more unnecessary disruption. | |
"Similar proposals to the ones we have made are already in place with numerous operators across London and the South East." | |
SWR is the only remaining London commuter operator which has a guard operating every door on every train. | |
On Wednesday, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said SWR's franchise was "not sustainable" after the company declared a £137m loss. | |
Contingency measures include issuing a short-term contract to SWR's owners or moving its operations to the Department for Transport, Mr Shapps said. | Contingency measures include issuing a short-term contract to SWR's owners or moving its operations to the Department for Transport, Mr Shapps said. |
SWR's owners, FirstGroup and MTR, were awarded the franchise in August 2017 after outbidding previous operator Stagecoach. | SWR's owners, FirstGroup and MTR, were awarded the franchise in August 2017 after outbidding previous operator Stagecoach. |
SWR operates routes between London Waterloo, Reading, Bristol, Exeter, Weymouth, and Portsmouth, as well as the Island Line on the Isle of Wight. |