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Union calls off First Great Western strike

Tuesday, 15 January 2008

The RMT union has officially called off a 48-hour strike by guards on First Great Western trains planned for Sunday 20 and Monday 21 January 2008 after talks.

The RMT transport union members voted last week to halt work in a dispute with bus and train operator FirstGroup PLC, First Great Western’s parent company, over a breakdown in industrial relations and the use of managers to guard and drive trains.

Train drivers were not expected to take part in the strike, which could bring disruption to thousands of commuters in Wales and the West of England, as progress had been made in negotiations on their working conditions.

Strike manadate still valid

“The resolve of RMT members at First Great Western has led the company to listen and act on our concerns and we hope a resolution can be found,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said on Tuesday.

“Our strike mandate is still valid and negotiations will continue on a number of issues essential to the resolution to this dispute,” he added.

First Great Western said on Friday that significant progress had been made in discussions held on Friday regarding the guards' dispute.

The rail operator added that it had given the RMT negotiating team the commitment they were seeking, particularly in relation to managers working trains. First Great Western said that Sunday working was at the heart of the dispute.

“We believe RMT members have a commitment to work some Sundays. The RMT believe, however, that guards can choose not to attend on Sundays,” the firm said last week.

It added that it had used fully qualified safety trained managers as guards to crew trains only as a last resort when all other possibilities had been exhausted. Further talks have been agreed for next week to discuss the other issues in dispute.

Poor punctuality record

The news is a small consolation for regular passengers on First Great Western trains, branded "Britain's worst rail franchise", who are the innocent victims in the power play between First Great Western's parent company FirstGroup and Crow's trade union.

First Great Western, which operates rail services between London Paddington and the West of England and Wales, was last year slammed by the rail regulator for its poor punctuality record, overcrowded trains and seemingly random cancellations. The firm nevertheless announced punitative double-digit fare increases on individual lines, that hit season ticket holders particularly hard.

MPs have filed a motion asking the Government to strip FirstGroup of its rail franchise. FirstGroup, which recently became a FTSE 100 company, also runs the ScotRail, First Capital Connect and Transpennine Express franchises, open access operator Hull Trains and freight company GB Railfreight.

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