Further strikes loom on Southern after station staff across the Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) franchise voted for industrial action over ticket office closures.
The RMT union confirmed a 70% vote in favour of a strike, while it said almost 80% of staff who voted backed industrial action short of a strike.
However, with a turnout of around 40%, GTR questioned the mandate for action. A spokesman said: “We note that only one in four (26.9%) voted for strike action, with more than half of RMT station staff members ignoring the ballot.
“While disappointed we urge the union to stop this dispute and save our passengers and staff further pain by becoming part of the solution rather than the problem.”
GTR said the impact of a possible strike was unclear, but it could compound the misery of commuters who have had timetables slashed and have suffered high levels of delays and cancellations, and on Tuesday found out their fares would rise by a further 1.9% in January.
GTR, the company that runs Southern as well as Thameslink and Great Northern trains, is proposing to close ticket offices or cut their hours at 83 stations, while reorganising staff to create a new position of “Station Host”.
The union fears that the changes will involve the loss of more than 100 jobs. RMT assistant general secretary Steve Hedley said: “The Govia Thameslink franchise is in meltdown and not fit for purpose. Not content with axing catering services, closing ticket offices and attacking the role of their guards they now want to threaten 130 station jobs and compromise the safety of both their passengers and staff alike.
“These plans fly in the face of the response from the thousands of passengers who objected to the closure of ticket offices and the de-staffing of stations as Govia drives on with plans for a faceless railway where the public are left to fend for themselves on rammed-out, dangerous and unreliable services.”
The union’s executive will consider whether and when to call a strike.
On Monday, talks at Acas broke down between GTR and the RMT in a parallel, long-running dispute over the role of conductors on Southern trains. Commuter services in Greater London and through Surrey, Sussex to the south coast have been decimated by strikes and staff shortages.
Train drivers on Southern rail could also go on strike in September. The result of a ballot from their union, Aslef, is expected at the end of this month.
Campaigners and local MPs have demanded a fares freeze for Southern passengers. Green MP Caroline Lucas, many of whose Brighton constituents rely on Southern trains, said the anticipated 1.9% rise was “particularly galling for commuters who have suffered appallingly poor service at the hands of Southern rail”.
Meanwhile, the RMT has announced it has suspended strike action on Virgin Trains East Coast that was due to take place over the Bank Holiday weekend. The union said that while all issues over onboard crew and jobs had not been resolved, it was calling off the strike for now due to “significant progress” in talks.
