Southern rail offers conductors £2,000 bonus in bid to break union impasse

Southern’s rail operator has made an attempt on Monday to break the impasse in its dispute with the RMT union by offering conductors a £2,000 lump sum to bring the proposed strikes to a halt.

Govia Thameslink Railway, a joint venture owned by the Go Ahead Group, wrote a letter to RMT’ general secretary Mick Cash with several proposals including job guarantees until 2021, which is the end of the Govia’s franchise agreement, above inflation wage increases and guaranteed overtime.

The plan also includes a January bonus of £2,000, less tax and national insurance, to all conductors.

The union has until midday on Thursday to agree to the terms and call off 14 days of planned strikes between October and December. If there is no agreement the operator will enforce proposed changes to the role of conductors anyway.

The RMT union has also clashed with Virgin Trains East Coast, which began a 24 hour walkout on Monday over a dispute over jobs and conditions.

Govia chief executive Charles Horton said: "Everyone is sick and tired of this pointless and unnecessary dispute and we now need to bring a swift end to these strikes.

"We are going the extra mile and offering our conductors a lump sum cash payment to be paid just after Christmas, when they are getting on with their new roles. The RMT needs to understand that this change is happening and we would prefer to work with them to ensure that it's achieved in a way that best protects the interests of our customers, our employees and the business."

Cash said: “RMT is making it clear this morning that jobs, safety and access on Southern rail services are not for sale for £2000. This dispute has never been about money, it is about guaranteeing that there is a second, safety-critical member of staff on-board the current Southern rail services.

“RMT will be responding positively to the call for talks but we will not be caving in to ultimatums that put a £2000 bounty on our members’ heads and which try to bribe us into selling out on the core issues of rail safety and disabled access.”

The long-running dispute has been over Southern’s attempt to take responsibility for closing train doors at stations to train drivers and away from conductors.

The union said the changes risked passenger safety, but Southern said new screens allow drivers to close the doors more safely than conductors.

Southern industrial action is due to take place over the following days:

11-13 October, 72 hours

18-20 October, 72 hours

3-5 November, 72 hours

22-23 November, 48 hours

6-8 December, 72 hours