Strikers to bring more rail agony

Hundreds of thousands of commuters were hit by another 48-hour strike by rail workers today as union leaders threatened even longer stoppages.

RMT chiefs, who ordered the strikes in a dispute over pay and the disciplining of its officials employed by South West Trains , are poised to announce a further 48-hour strike perhaps towards the end of next week or the week after.

After that, the action could be escalated to 72-hour or even longer stoppages. A senior RMT official said: "It is unlikely the union will want to revert to 24 hour stoppages."

SWT imported 100 coaches from as far as Scotland and Wales in a bid to beat the strike which is affecting 350,000 passengers.

Even so, hundreds of London companies were effectively reduced to a half day as workers came in late and were allowed to leave early, with SWT advising customers to get to Waterloo by 5pm. Some other workers were also being allowed to work from home.

Up to one in 10 of London's workforce is being caught up in the dispute, according to the London Chamber of Commerce. The City was particularly badly hit as thousands of workers travel in through Waterloo.

Weekend talks lasting more than 15 hours to try to resolve the dispute - which SWT says is really about the demotion of RMT activist Greg Tucker from train driver to ticket inspector - broke up last night without agreement. There are no new talks planned, and the second half of the strike is now certain to take place tomorrow.

SWT managing director Andrew Haines accused the RMT union of being "hell-bent on a testimonial strike" to save the job of one of its activists.

A spokeswoman for SWT said just under 90 per cent of the usual 1,700 trains a day were halted. The company ran a few extra trains compared with last Thursday and Friday - with, for the first time, a two trains-an hour shuttle between Surbiton and Waterloo.

The spokeswoman said SWT managed the extra trains by substituting striking staff with trained managers. "Also there are some employees who have not obeyed the strike." The dispute does not involve train drivers.

Every bus and the few trains which did run were packed solid, and London Underground reported that both the Wimbledon and Richmond branches of the District line carried many more commuters than usual as a result of the strike.

Stagecoach, which owns SWT, provided bus services in Hampshire and Surrey linking with stations where a few trains ran or where commuters could board Londonbound coaches. But many commuters gave up trying to catch one of the few trains or coaches and took to the car. Huge jams built up on the M3 by 6am with conditions particularly bad on the 10-mile section from Camberley to the junction with the M25.

Today Tony Blair moved to condemn the striking rail staff and called for both sides to "get back around the table." The Prime Minister's official spokesman said of the strikers: "If they have a grievance, these should be worked out and resolved without putting passengers through the inconveniences they are going through."

Asked outright if he was condemning the action, the spokesman replied: "Yes."

However, Ken Livingstone was condemned today for his "continued silence" on the strikes - and challenged to prove he does not support action by a union that contributed £3,000 to his mayoral election fund.

Bob Neill, leader of the GLA Conservatives, called on him to pledge not to invite RMT members in future to take a seat on the board of Transport for London if they refuse to halt their action.

The strike comes on the day fares rose by up to 17 per cent. First-class passengers using Anglia Railways - which operates from Liverpool Street station - are hit hardest of all with a 17 per cent rise. Many London commuters will find themselves paying less but only because the service has been so bad the rail companies were forbidden to put the prices up.

Even first-class passengers on SWT will have to pay nearly one per cent more - that's when they can get a train. Ordinary commuter fares are restricted but the train operating companies are allowed to increase firstclass and off-peak rates by however much they think they can get away with.

On the Tube, fares rose by up to seven per cent. The single hop fare in central London goes up by 10p to £1.60. Other single tickets will cost 2.6 per cent more and monthly season tickets will rise by 1.3 per cent.

Byers home to face the music
Mayhem on the roads
Anger on the trains
Defiance on the picket line
Relief on the coach
Dear Mr Blair, could you spare a minute?
Comment: Blame Labour
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