More strikes are looming across a range of British transport services, with fresh action announced on British Airways and Southern rail, and an ultimatum issued for another tube strike next month.
Up to 2,900 cabin crew from BA’s “mixed fleet” branch at Heathrow will strike again for three days next week in a row over pay, while conductors on Southern will walk out for 24 hours on Monday 23 January, just ahead of three more days of strikes by drivers that will completely halt its trains. The RMT has said it will escalate action on the London Underground from 6 February if its demands are not met in talks starting next week.
Virtually all of Southern’s 2,242 daily services will be cancelled again on Friday, as drivers in Aslef strike for the third day this week in the long-running dispute over the roles and responsibilities of onboard crew.
Although Southern’s conductors have now accepted new contracts redesignating them as onboard supervisors, the move by the RMT to strike underlines that the dispute, and commuter misery, is unlikely to end soon.
The RMT general secretary, Mick Cash, hit out at the chief executive of Southern’s operating company, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), saying he had failed to honour a televised pledge to ensure a second member of staff on all trains.
A Southern spokesperson said: “We remain ready to meet the RMT leadership, as we do Aslef, any time, any place, anywhere to find a way to end their disputes.”
But the prospect of talks appears to have receded, after GTR announced on Wednesday it was again pursuing legal action against Aslef to halt the strikes, going to the supreme court after losing a court case and an appeal last year.
The union insists it has genuine safety concerns over the further implementation of driver-only operation on Southern services. The same row could soon extend north, with the RMT now having given ultimatums to both Arriva Rail North, which runs Northern, and Merseyrail to commit to keeping guards on trains or face industrial action. The union warned that the taxpayer would be liable for losses to train companies in the event of similar strikes, with the government having inserted clauses in new franchise agreements to allow firms to claim for lost revenue.
In a separate dispute, the RMT said more tube strikes would start from 6 February if London Underground did not produce “serious proposals” for extra station staff. The union represents about 80% of the 3,700 station staff who went on strike on Monday, closing most tube stations in central London and leaving roads gridlocked.
However, there are strong hopes that negotiations will avert a strike, with talks starting next week. All parties have indicated that the job cuts that ensued when ticket offices were closed in early 2016 have left stations understaffed.
Steve Griffiths, London Underground’s chief operating officer, said: “We look forward to resuming talks at Acas on Monday in order to make progress towards resolving this dispute.”
Meanwhile, British Airways crew will walk out for three days from next Thursday, following a 48-hour strike this week which led to around 100 flights being cancelled or merged.
The Unite union says pay at the national carrier is so low that crew are taking second jobs or working while sick. It called on BA to raise pay, which starts at £12,192 basic, although the airline says most crew earn at least £21,000 with flying allowances.
Unite’s national officer Oliver Richardson said: “British Airways should be under no illusion about our members’ determination to secure a settlement.”
But the airline described the move as “bizarre and regrettable”. BA said that the first strike had failed to disrupt its customers, who all reached their destinations, and it would set out new contingency plans to ensure all booked passengers could travel again next week.
