TRAIN drivers are furious at a deal thrashed out between their union leaders and employers and are gearing up to reject it in a vote.

A driver at Brighton Station told The Argus that he and his colleagues were extremely disappointed with the terms of an agreement settled on Friday between the Aslef union, and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which runs the Southern franchise.

It comes after RMT union leader Mick Cash, who represents train conductors, called the Aslef deal a “historic and shocking betrayal”.

The private ten-page agreement, which The Argus has seen a copy of, seeks to put an end to strike action which has been ongoing since December over the role of drivers in the introduction of driver-only operation trains.

Under its terms, the union accepts that drivers will be responsible for the closing of the doors of trains and the company commits to have a second safety-critical member of staff on board all services under “normal circumstances”.

However, there is a long list of exempt scenarios – including staff sickness – in which trains could run without an On Board Supervisor (OBS), as conductors are now known.

One driver at the station yesterday, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “I don’t really like it.

“That’s the general feeling in the staff room. People are furious.”

He said drivers were gearing up to give Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan a rough ride at a meeting this evening.

He added that many would vote against the deal.

Over the weekend, RMT general secretary Mick Cash launched an assault on the agreement.

He said: “This so-called agreement is a shocking and historical betrayal presided over by the TUC of not only the conductor grade and drivers , but also passengers, including disabled passengers, who have lost the guarantee of a second member of staff on their trains.

“This abysmal document lists a whole host of areas where a train can leave without a second member of staff that will leave both the driver and passengers exposed and vulnerable and which also represents a thin end of the wedge that will lead to the de-staffing of trains.

“This is not a deal, it is a disgrace and the RMT dispute remains on and we will fight this shocking betrayal with every tool at our disposal.”

The agreement was reached between the national executive committee (NEC) of Aslef and the board of GTR on Friday.

Details of the terms were sent out to members and delegates over the weekend and the 937 drivers on the Southern network will vote on the matter over the coming ten days.

On February 16 the result will be announced following a count by the electoral reform society.

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan is meeting with branch representatives over the next few days including a meeting in Brighton tonight.

Both GTR and Aslef said they would not comment publicly on the deal until the vote result was known.

‘IT’S NOT A STRIKE-BREAKERS CHARTER,’ SAYS ASLEF BOSS

THERE have been plenty of angry exchanges about Southern Rail over the past year – much of it unprintable.

But you don’t often see union leaders slamming each other in the press quite like this.

Mick Cash, of the conductors’ union the RMT, has denounced the deal struck between Mick Whelan, from drivers’ union Aslef, and Southern’s parent company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) as a “shocking betrayal”.

The furore has whipped up distrust and disquiet and some drivers – including those who have spoken to The Argus – have said they may not endorse the deal when it is put to them in a vote.

We will not know the outcome of the Aslef vote until February 16, but we do know the RMT is concerned the deal undercuts its negotiating position.

Once trains move over to driver only operation (DOO), then – should the drivers consent to working without a second person on board – the RMT would lose its bargaining power because trains could run without an on board supervisors (OBS).

If that were the case, the RMT could come out on strike with zero effect on the smooth running of the railway. That is not what has been agreed.

This deal does allow for some flexibility – see box below – but it does not allow for trains to run without an OBS on board as a matter of course.

Simon Weller, deputy general secretary of Aslef, said: “It gives them a certain amount more flexibility than they had, but it isn’t a strike-breakers charter.

“The RMT is saying it’s kind of a sell-out, and that’s kind of a problem, because it’s not.”

Some will say that to allow trains to run without an OBS if he or she is late, or sick, or delayed dealing with an ill passengers is simply common sense.

Others will agree with Mick Cash of the RMT that the eight exemptions represent the thin end of the wedge and will lead to the safety-critical role of the OBS being downgraded over time.

What nobody should misunderstand is whether it is a set-up for trains to run even if the RMT is on strike. There is a clause that states a train can run if the OBS is absent through “unauthorised absence,” but that clause does not relate to strikes, which are authorised in a ballot of the membership.

Mr Weller said: “We wouldn’t be covering for industrial action. That’s been very very clear. If they started playing that game they’d have another dispute and they’d have the drivers out. That would be a foolish move and they understand that. They wanted to include industrial action and they were told they were not going to get that. This is where people have just not turned up.”

He also said that a clause allowing for driver-only running in case of intensive sickness was only to cover for the “zombie apocalypse”.

The RMT could take comfort from clauses in the contract which accept there are circumstances in which the OBS should help with the dispatch of the train – including if there is a problem with the doors.

But once again in this dispute, no one looks poised to back down.

THE DEAL THAT SPARKED A ROW

THE Argus has seen a copy of the proposed deal between Aslef and Govia Thameslink (GTR) .

The first paragraph commits to having an OBS (On Board Supervisor, the new name for conductors) on most trains, saying: “GTR will guarantee that drivers are supported by committing to diagram and roster an OBS [On Board Supervisor] for all services that previously had a conductor on August 21, 2016 ... All services will normally operate with both a driver and an OBS.

“However, both GTR and ASLEF recognise that there are circumstances when, for the benefits of passengers, the overall service and employees, Southern services covered by this arrangement will run without an OBS.”

There are eight circumstances in which the two sides have agreed – pending the ratification of the agreement by the union members – that the train can run without an OBS.

They are:

  • Unauthorised absence, no staff cover
  • Late notice sickness, no staff cover
  • OBS delayed on way to work
  • OBS delayed by service disruption
  • OBS unable to continue shift – eg through sickness or assault
  • Error by driver or OBS leading to the OBS behind left behind
  • OBS has to leave train to cope with passenger incident or emergency
  • “Should coverage of duties be impacted as a consequence of widespread or sudden high intensity sickness, the parties commit to working together to deliver the best possible service arrangement for the benefit of passengers.”

This last clause has worried the RMT but Simon Weller of Aslef said it was for exceptional circumstances. “It’s basically for the zombie apocalypse,” he said.

He added that although the deal did not explicitly mention industrial action one way or another, the agreement was understood by both sides not to extend to strike action. He warned that if GTR tries to tell drivers to continue working despite an RMT strike, Aslef would strike as well.