The executive of the RMT, the largest rail union, is to discuss an offer from Acas, the industrial arbitration service, to resolve a confrontation with South West Trains over pay and the demotion of a union activist.
Managers of the Stagecoach-owned train operator yesterday accepted an Acas invitation to hold fresh talks in a bid to avert next week's 48-hour stoppage after two earlier walkouts caused chaos in London.
A senior RMT source said it was "very likely" that the union executive would agree to attend Acas but cautioned that an earlier attempt by the conciliation service to broker an agreement had failed.
Settlement of the dispute would offer the transport secretary, Stephen Byers, a glimmer of hope after his much-trumpeted 10-year plan to rejuvenate the railway was widely dismissed as no such thing.
Ministers have been mediating with the combatants behind the scenes, after the walkouts focused public attention on the poor state of the network.
Rita Donaghy, the Acas chairwoman, wrote to both sides last Friday offering to appoint an expert acceptable to the union and company, or a panel of three experts, to arbitrate.
The RMT is opposed to binding arbitration, wary of com mitting itself to accept a recommendation still to be made, though it may agree a voluntary system.
SWT said it was willing to explore all options to try to settle the dispute, yet the train operator has already imposed a rejected 7.6% pay rise to be spread over two years and the company stated it did not intend to allow the disciplined activist Greg Tucker to drive again. But the company added: "We are willing to talk about ways to resolve this dispute. We hope the RMT will take a positive role in helping us to do that."
The union, planning its third walkout on January 24-25, wants guards and ticket collectors to receive a wage rise matching a higher award offered to drivers and for Mr Tucker to get his old job back.
