National rail strike threat

A national rail strike was threatened today as hard-Left union leaders warned that other passenger train companies could be dragged into the pay-parity dispute dogging South West Trains.

Rail Maritime and Transport Union leaders said they would seriously consider holding strike ballots at every other train company where drivers' pay has leaped ahead that of their own guard and station staff members. Connex, the country's busiest commuter line, is an immediate prime target and discussions are already taking place.

It would mean a new series of strike ballots sweeping the country, and with the unions claiming that feelings are running very high, support for 24-hour stoppages would be guaranteed in many instances. Many train companies, already feeling the pinch, would not agree to the demand which would cost them millions extra in pay packets.

Any action levied on individual companies would be co-ordinated to take place on the same day - resulting in the equivalent of the return to a nationwide train strike. Alex Gordon, member of the RMT national executive committee, said: "We have to look at resolving these disputes by means of a national rail dispute.

"People are right to be worried about the prospect of a national strike. If RMT members on South West Trains are being threatened with being sacked, the union should be balloting nationally as soon as possible."

The escalation of the 48-hour strikes on SWT is likely to be discussed at a meeting of the RMT's national executive today.

The RMT has also held strikes on Arriva North and a number of ballots are being held on Silverlink's north London services, London Underground, the Docklands Light Railway and Scot-Rail, all over pay.

Mr Gordon added: "We have to look if there is a way to tie these all together. Feelings are definitely running very, very high among members."

Hundreds of thousands of commuters today suffered their second successive day of chaos as the third 48-hour strike on SWT caused huge disruption across the South and South-West.

The Stagecoach-owned company ran 640 train services yesterday out of a possible 1,700, and expects the same number today. For the next strike it plans to operate 800 services. Emergency timetables will be published next week

More SWT white-collar managers are being trained to take the place of strikers during future stoppages - scheduled for Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 February.

Roads heading into London were largely unaffected by the strike, motoring organisations said. Waterloo was also noticeably quieter than on a normal weekday as a many commuters chose to work from home to beat the strike.

SWT and the RMT continue to squabble over who wrote to whom two weeks ago to try and set up fresh talks. The union is claiming parity for 2,100 train guards and station staff with Aslef drivers - who are not on strike - who received a 7.6 per cent increase last year.

SWT says it wrote to the union on 15 January and has not received a reply and refuses to write again. The union says it is willing to talk - but not under the conditions set out by the company.

At the same time both SWT and the RMT are refusing to publicly state the exact nature of safetyrelated offence supposed to have been committed by Greg Tucker, the union official at the centre of the strike . An SWT spokesman said: "We haven't been specific as the driver concerned is still an employee of SWT and there is a forthcoming industrial tribunal in March.

"What we can say is that he was on a final warning, committed a further safety offence leading to our disciplinary-procedures, and we believe he is not safe to drive a train."

The RMT said Mr Tucker was originally interviewed by managers who cited his "bad attitude" - evidence according to the union that he is being victimised as a union official.

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