South Western Railway strike: 27-day walkout could wreck Christmas travel plans for thousands this year

Passengers using South Western Railway (SWR) services will be able to rely on their trains for only two days in December, after union members voted in favour of a month-long strike.

The RMT union, which has been involved in a long-running dispute with SWR and other train operators over the role of guards, has ordered its members to walk out on every day next month apart from Sunday 1 and Thursday 12 December.

The stoppage will affect commuters in and out of the UK’s busiest railway station, London Waterloo, on trains to and from southwest London, Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire, Dorset and Wiltshire. It could also impact those trying to return home from the capital for Christmas.

They will not technically be striking on 25 and 26 December, when SWR would not be running any trains.

The 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.”

During the many previous rail strikes, services on the main lines have operated at about half the usual frequency, while branch lines have had rail services cancelled altogether – with only some of them replaced by buses.

The guards’ dispute – with both SWR and other train operators – ostensibly centres on who opens and closes the doors on trains. But it masks a more deeply rooted conflict over the nature of the guard’s work in a railway system largely adapted to driver-controlled operation. 

The Labour Party has backed the RMT’s campaign. Earlier this year Jeremy Corbyn told The Independent: “It’s very much Labour policy that there should be fully staffed trains in all parts of the country at all times.”

The strike will affect retailers and the entertainment industry in central London in the run-up to Christmas, as day-trippers stay away.

It will also cause many problems for travellers who normally use GWR between London Paddington and Reading.

All GWR lines will be closed from Christmas Eve to Friday 27 December inclusive, because of track and overhead wiring work. InterCity services to Exeter, Plymouth, Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea will start and end at Reading.

SWR was expected to run extra services between Reading and London Waterloo, but the strike will result in fewer trains than usual.

The Independent has asked South Western Railway for a response.