Commuters struggle to get to work as rail strike continues
RAIL commuters fought their way into work in their hundreds of thousands today – and must so today as a strike continues to bite.
They were caught up in a 48-hour walkout by RMT staff in a long-running dispute with Southern railway.
Southern said it ran 60 per cent of services across London and the South East, while the RMT claimed “solid” support for the strike.
The union opposes plans to change the role of conductors, claiming they will put passenger safety at risk.
The Government last week set up a £20million fund to tackle problems at Southern.
Just a fraction of £100million could keep guards on trains and resolve this
Days later owner Govia Thameslink Railway revealed £100million profits.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “Just a fraction of £100million could keep guards on trains, keep the trains safe and resolve this.”
Southern claimed there will be as many staff on board as now and there will be no job losses or pay cuts.
It said 40 per cent of trains have run safely with drivers only for years.
Meanwhile, experts at the Adam Smith Institute called for Network Rail to be sold off by the Government and for the £50billion HS2 High Speed rail line to be scrapped.