Moment angry commuter hurls abuse at Southern Rail train staff live on Good Morning Britain
Striking rail workers were blasted by a fuming passenger outside deserted Brighton station
A RAGING commuter blasted striking Southern drivers as "union scumbags" during a live news piece on Good Morning Britain.
A correspondent was reporting from Brighton station where members of Aslef and the Royal, Maritime and Transport unions were on the picket line.
News reporter Nick Dixon was telling Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid in the studio how "getting anywhere on the trains" was "just not an option" during the strike action.
A fuming commuter then walked behind Nick and blasted the striking workers as "scumbags, union scumbags.";
The live broadcast was aired shortly after 7am as hundreds and thousands of commuters endured rush-hour misery because of the walkout.
It appears laughing can be heard off-camera as the angry commuter walks off and into the station.
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Members of the train drivers union Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport union have walked out over a long-running dispute over driver-only trains.
It is feared the move could lead to job losses as conductors are no longer necessary.
Roughly 300 passengers rely on Southern every day and so nearly 1million commuters will be affected by the 72 hours of strike action.
The drivers are striking Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday this week.
Southern told its customers to seek alternative routes to work - or not travel at all yesterday - as all of their 2,242 weekday services would be cancelled.
Passengers are facing the worst disruption in 20 years after the Court of Appeal rejected an attempt by the rail firm to block the action.
Roughly 300,000 passengers rely on the rail operator's services each day - meaning around 900,000 will be affected across the three days of action.
Scuffles broke out on platforms and tempers flared as Southern wound down its services last night ahead of the walkouts.
Many of London's usually jam-packed stations have been deserted this morning because of the absence of Southern services.
Commuters who opted for the Tube as an alternative route were struck by delays at Victoria because of a signal failure at Brixton.
Passengers rushing to catch flights from Gatwick have also been caught up in the nightmare.
It comes after judges upheld last week's ruling to dismiss owner Govia Thameslink Railway's claims the strikes infringed rights under EU laws.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling continued to blame the unions for the months of disruption.
He urged them to sit down with the company to resolve long-running disputes over driver-only trains and changes to the role of conductors.
He claims the rail unions are demanding "not just to stop the current modernisation process, but to start reversing 30 years of working practice changes right across the country”.
Grayling wrote to MPs on Monday saying the strikes are politically motivated.
He wrote: "When I met the general secretary of Aslef soon after my appointment, with virtually his first breath he promised me ‘ten years of industrial action’.
"I have therefore believed it better to avoid direct ministerial involvement in negotiations during the autumn, as my involvement would make the issue even more political than it is."
Grayling also described Aslef's behaviour as "not the actions of a union that wants to act to get services back to normal".
Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said: "Industrial action is always the last resort. Even now, all we want is for the company to sit down with us and negotiate – properly, sensibly and in good faith, not to simply restate their old entrenched position – and do a deal for the benefit of passengers, staff and, of course, the company."
Commuters are planning a protest march on Thursday from Southern’s main London hub, Victoria station, to the Department of Transport.
The Association of British Commuters has demanded an immediate government intervention into the dispute.
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