A RAIL union has announced 27 days of rail strikes during December and the new year as part of a long-running dispute. 

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) has confirmed that a total of 27 days of strike action will take place on South Western Railway.

It comes after the RMT say South Western Rail "dangled a potential breakthrough deal in front of the union and then failed to honour it, offering no reasons for the delay."

The union has told its members not to book on for duty from 00:01 GMT on Monday December 2 until 23:59 on Wednesday, December 11; from 00:01 on Friday December 13 until 23:59 on Tuesday December 24, and from 00:01 on Friday December 27 2019 until 23:59 on January 1, 2020. 

 

A statement from RMT said: "The company’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."

 

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: "Our members have been left with no choice but to call a further 27 days of strike action on South Western Railway.

"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."