South Western Railway strikes – what are the December dates and why are they happening?
SOUTH Western Rail workers have announced they will strike this December - much to the disappointment of commuters.
They will take 27 days of strikes with festive trips thrown into turmoil. But when are the South Western Railway strikes and how will I be affected? Here's the lowdown everything we know.
When are the South Western Railway strikes?
The strikes will take place between December 2 and New Year's Day.
Southeastern Highspeed and Eurostar trains will not stop at Ashford, Kent, between December 26 and 29.
The dates South Western Railway workers will not strike in December are
Sunday, December 1, and Thursday, December 12.
This makes the total number of strike days, 27.
SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY STRIKE EXACT DAYS
Monday, December 2, from midnight – 11.59pm on Wednesday, December 11
Friday, December 13, from midnight until 11.59pm on Tuesday, December 24
Friday, December 27, until 11.59pm on Wednesday, January 1, 2020
How will I be affected?
South Western Railways cover areas in Surrey, Hampshire and Dorset.
They also operate regional services in Devon, Somerset, Berkshire and Wiltshire.
The railway's main terminal is London Waterloo, covering Weymouth, Exeter St Davids, Portsmouth Harbour, Southampton Central, Bournemouth, Woking, Salisbury, Guildford and Reading.
They also operate through a number of stations in London and the surrounding areas, these are:
- Clapham Junction
- Vauxhall, Wimbledon
- Kingston
- Surbiton
- Brentford
- Twickenham
- Wandsworth
- Putney
Why are the rail workers striking?
According to the RMT union: "South Western Railway’s unremitting failure to give assurances that their new operational model won’t move to Driver Controlled Operation – with the role of the guard butchered completely – means the union has been left with no alternative but to call further industrial action."
The RMT General Secretary, Mick Cash said in a statement: "At the last meeting we held with SWR, principles in agreements were made in good faith with the company’s negotiating team and we now feel hugely let down again.
"As long as the company continues to refuse to give assurances on the future operational role of the guard we will remain in dispute.
"I want to congratulate our members on their continued resolve in their fight for safety and the role of the guard on SWR.
"It is wholly down to the management side that the core issue of the safety critical competencies and the role of the guard has not been agreed. The union remains available for talks."
What has South Western Railways said?
A South Western spokesperson said the "deliberate targeting of services up to, and during, the Christmas period is typical of the lack of concern the RMT continue to have for our customers
They added: "The RMT has always said it wanted us to keep the guard on every train. That is what we have offered as part of a framework agreement if the RMT work with us to agree a method of operation for our new trains which fully utilises the new technology to improve safety, security and accessibility as well as day-to-day performance.
"Instead the RMT appear purely focussed on keeping control of train doors in a misguided attempt to hold power over the industry.
"Whilst we have shown commitment to the role of the guard by introducing over 80 additional guard roles since the start of our franchise, the RMT do not have the long-term interests of either our customers or our colleagues, including their members, at the heart of their actions.
"We remain committed to finding a solution that will help us build a better railway for everyone. We will do everything we can to keep customers moving during strike action."