SOUTH Western Railway (SWR) will run a 'full service' over the next four days despite further industrial action by the RMT union.

The union is taking further action from tomorrow (Friday) with its members who are drivers and guards asked to not work any rest days for four days.

It is the latest wave of action amid the bitter dispute over the future role of train guards.

However, SWR has said: "We are planning on running a full service and will be using our team of trained contingency guards from within our workforce, where necessary, to deliver the best possible service.

"We are planning to run all our advertised services and will not be making any alternative travel arrangements with other train or bus operators."

The firm added it has asked the union to cancel the action.

It is the fourth month in a row RMT members will take action after walkouts in November, on New Year's Eve and in January.

Earlier this week, RMT officials accused SWR of sending “threatening and intimidating” letters to union members suggesting they will be making “illegal” deductions to the wages of staff to recoup losses arising from the current industrial dispute.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “It is frankly disgraceful that South Western Railway point-blank refuse to engage with the union in meaningful talks over their plans to run trains without a safety-critical guard on board across this franchise.

“Instead, they have resorted to the crudest possible attempts to threaten, bully and harass our members fighting to put public safety before private profit.

“South Western Railway should call off these disgraceful attacks on their front-line staff and should start talking seriously with the union around an agreement that underpins the guard guarantee and ensures safe, accessible and secure services for all.

“It is the continuing intransigent attitude of the company which has forced us to put on this latest phase of industrial action in an effort to force them to see sense and to drive them back to the negotiating table for genuine and meaningful talks.

“We know that this action will have a serious impact on services and the responsibility for the disruption caused will be wholly down to South Western Railway and their pig-headed attitude. It is time for the company to get out of the bunker, stop threatening their staff and start talking.”



 

A South Western Railway spokesman said: “What our letter refers to is if guards refuse to work other elements of their contracted terms and conditions, which were jointly agreed with the union several years ago as part of a restructuring package, and allow for some flexibility around shift start and finish times.

“By telling their members to refuse to work flexibly they are putting their members in breach of their contract. We have advised the union that we consider this to be strike action and will respond accordingly.

“Should this action go ahead, we will do everything we can to minimise the effect on passengers and will aim to run our full service. However, we sincerely hope the union withdraws this action and does not put its members in this impossible position.”