48-hour rail strike called off

A planned 48-hour strike by over 1,000 drivers, guards and other workers at a leading rail company has been called off following fresh developments, including a legal challenge, it was announced.

Southeastern Trains said it was pleased its legal action had resulted in the Rail Maritime and Transport Union deciding not to go ahead with a walk-out by 500 guards and drivers next Monday and Tuesday in a dispute over the role of guards.

The RMT complained that anti-union laws were used to mount the court challenge, citing a "minor legal technicality".

The union said its dispute with Southeastern over driver-only operation was "far from over", announcing that its reps would be meeting next week to discuss their next move.

General secretary Bob Crow said: "Southeastern's lawyers have pounced on a minor legal technicality that made not one jot of difference to a ballot that returned a massive majority for strike action.

"The anti-union laws were designed to make it as difficult as possible for workers to strike and today the company has used those laws to frustrate the will of RMT guards and drivers who want to stop the extension of driver-only operation.

"Southeastern was shocked by the size of the majority in favour of strike action, and the company knows as well as we do that running to the judges will not make the safety issues at stake go away."

A planned strike by hundreds of retail and engineering workers at Southeastern on the same days was suspended so the union can consider a revised pay offer.