STEPHEN LLOYD MP: Disappointment as rail talks hit the buffers

This is a blow, so I made a few enquiries and discovered that although we secured some real progress a couple of weeks ago with the Transport Minister finally agreeing to sit down with the trade union leaders involved in the dispute (RMT and ASLEF), with no pre-conditions, something he’d refused to do for the last 16 months, it seems the talks have hit the buffers.

I immediately contacted a senior figure within the union and was told that after the initial positive meeting with the Secretary of State, the talks had reverted to what they’d unsuccessfully been for the duration of the dispute. In other words no Dft (Department of Transport) presence, meeting the unions separately and the negotiations being just with the rail company.

This is disappointing for two very good reasons; firstly the self-same approach has clearly not worked for the last 16 months so why should it now? And secondly, the Dft possesses significant oversight over the proceedings as Southern/GTR only have a management contract, as opposed to a full train operators licence and, consequently, do pretty much what the Department of Transport want them to do.

Clearly the only way to break this deadlock is to get the Dft to take ownership of the problem, which in my and many others view, has been created by the government’s determination to bring in Driver Only Trains (DOO), come want may. The transport department should be active participants in the negotiations and along with Southern/GTR sit down to negotiate with both unions in the same room at the same time.