RMT strike on for Thursday as talks break down

HOPES of averting tomorrow's (Thursday 18 October) 24-hour strike by RMT union guards on the c2c rail route into London evaporated this afternoon, as talks broke down without an agreement being reached.

At a meeting in London the union rejected a comprehensive series of eight proposals from c2c. As a result, c2c will have to operate a reduced strike timetable, virtually the same as the one that was in force during last Friday's one-day strike on the route carried out by the RMT.

This will see around 20 trains operating to London in the morning peak and back out again in the evening peak. Although this is less than 50 percent of the normal number of trains, around 75 percent of the usual 25,000 commuters will be able to be carried.

This is because all trains are being lengthened to 12 cars on the route from Southend to London via Basildon and eight cars on the Tilbury and Ockendon branch lines. It is not possible to run 12 car trains on the other two routes for safety reasons - due to shorter platform lengths at some stations.

As 11 guards are completing six-week training courses and due to pass final exams today, most will be available for duty tomorrow, giving c2c more services to augment tomorrow's strike timetable.

c2c Route Director David Taylor said: "It is bad news that the talks today failed to find a final resolution to this dispute, which has resulted in four months of suffering and inconvenience to our customers.

"But, as the dispute has progressed, we have steadily been able to provide more resources and improve the level of service we have been able to provide on strike days and tomorrow will be the best of those yet. We will see additional trains able to run, on top of those in the strike timetable being handed out to customers at stations today.

"We feel that the latest set of proposals we have put to the RMT offers the guards a lot of reassurances and concrete details about what their future is with the company and our negotiating team is determined to keep talking and bring the dispute to an end sooner rather than later."

As well as the special strike service on the route, c2c customers can use their tickets to travel on Great Eastern services if they join stations between Southend Victoria and Billericay to travel into London's Liverpool Street station.

In addition, as well as being available at c2c stations, details of the strike service timetable are also posted on this website and are available by phoning 08457 48 49 50.