Virgin East Coast, Arriva Rail North staff in 48 hour strike action

The Rail Maritime and Transport union on Thursday announced strikes on Virgin East Coast and Arriva Rail North services over the role of guards on trains and other staffing.

RMT members at the Deutsche Bahn-owned Arriva Rail North will walk off the job on April 28 for 24 hours after the company failed to offer any progress at all in talks last week over the guards and drivers safety dispute, the union said.

Staff at Virgin East Coast trains, majority owned by Stagecoach, will also go on strike for 48 hours on the same date, the RMT added.

The RMT said it had been seeking “explicit clarification” from Virgin on the retention of guards’ roles and wanted a "specific assurance that a new position of train manager will retain the safety-critical roles and training currently held by train guards".

“The only response the company has offered is to repeat the vague and non-committal mantra of ‘within our discussions we have confirmed that the safety-critical duties of the guard will remain on the train’."

“This mealy-mouthed form of words gives no reassurance to RMT members in the frontline nor any protection from the possible introduction of driver-only operation.”

Arriva staff action follows a strike on April 8 as part of a campaign against new driver-controlled trains being introduced from 2020. The new strike was called after talks failed to break the deadlocked dispute.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said passengers would be "appalled that Arriva Rail North have failed to offer any kind of progress whatsoever in the talks and have instead opted to try and bulldoze through their plans regardless".

“It is that flagrant disregard for the safety issues at the heart of the dispute which leaves us with no option but to put on this further day of strike action.