News | TransportSouth Western Railway strikes suspended ahead of further talksPassengers try to board a South Western Railway train at Earlsfield train station during a strike late last yearPAKit Heren3 March 2020Planned strike action by workers on South Western Railway has been suspended, the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union said.The strikes were due to take place for 24 hours from the morning of March 9 and again from the morning of March 12 as part of the long-running dispute over the role of guards on trains. RMT says that it is important for passenger safety that guards control train doors. But on Tuesday, the union said it has called off the strikes “in good faith to allow further talks to take place this Friday”.South Western Railway workers went on strike for 27 days in December last year, leading to thousands of services being cancelled.Read MoreSWR workers vote to continue strike action over guard disputeSWR may return to state ownership as franchise called ‘unsustainable'Hundreds of trains axed as strike staff need retraining after time offThis is the sixth time that union members have gone on strike in this dispute. A spokesperson for South Western Railway said, “We are pleased for our customers and colleagues that next week’s strikes have been suspended."We hope that we can now find a solution to bring a permanent end to this dispute for everyone’s sake.“We are now working hard to reinstate the full timetable for next week.”MORE ABOUTSouth Western Railway. RMT
