THE Rail Delivery Group has warned that there are ‘no winners’ in the disputes between the RMT and train operators over on-train staffing.
More strikes have now been called which are set to disrupt Northern services on every Saturday for the rest of the year, including those in the Christmas shopping period.
On South Western Railway, strikes have been called for 17 and 24 November, which are also Saturdays. Another walkout planned for 10 November has been cancelled by the RMT.
The union gave no reason for suspending this strike, but it would have affected train services on the day before Remembrance Sunday.
The RMT said: ‘All other action scheduled in the dispute remains on and the union remains fully committed to using all industrial, political and campaigning tools at its disposal to secure the retention of the guard on SWR services.’
The operators, the RDG and other industry bodies continue to maintain that a traditional guard is not necessary to maintain safety on all trains, pointing to fully driver-only operated systems such as London Underground and Thameslink.
A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group said: ‘There are no winners from RMT disputes that disrupt the lives of our hardworking customers who may be trying to get to work, get their children to school or to run their local business. Train companies are working together to reach a resolution so we can focus on delivering our long-term plan to change and improve the railway for the benefit of our customers, local communities and Britain’s economy.’