No resolution in sight in Southern row

I watched the Southern strike special on Monday night on BBC One where the RMT's Mick Lynch clashed with Govia Thameslink Railway's Charles Horton.

While neither side changed position, what was striking was how animosity and virtually non-existent industrial relations seems to be preventing a deal.

Although the detail is now completely submerged in vitriol, I think it's worth recapping what this dispute is meant to be about.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) wants to introduce driver-only operation (DOO) also known as driver controlled operation (DCO).

Even there, the confusion starts.

While a third of the rail network does use DOO already - with only a driver on board - what GTR is proposing is actually not driver only - the company wants a second member on board most of the time.

The proposals are part of a Department of Transport (DfT) mega-franchise agreement GTR has signed up to.

Financial penalties

Unusually it is a management contract, and so GTR are doing the DfT's bidding - a point widely ignored or not known.

One GTR executive told me the company would be penalised financially if it failed to deliver DOO as it is in the contract.

The detail of the proposed deal is that the driver on new trains would control the doors and despatch the train using CCTV. There would be a second safety trained staff member USUALLY on board.

However, the unions think the second staff member should be safety critical. That means no trains could run without two members of safety critical staff.

The company thinks in exceptional circumstances, they should be able to run a train if the second staff member is unavailable.

On that point the two sides cannot compromise and that is where we are stuck.

The unions also do not think the CCTV images for the driver from the cameras are good enough especially in bad light.

And while true driver-only operation is already in use on a number of lines the unions do not want it spreading.

Politically motivated

There are various interpretations of where we are.

Some think the unions are being unreasonable and trying to protect working practices and are being politically motivated.

Many can't understand why if this system is already in use on 30% of the network, a "milder" version of it shouldn't be used on Southern.

Others say the company and the government are simply cost-cutting and are themselves being political: trying to "break the unions" and deliberately trying to force the changes through.

The Southern network has been crippled by industrial action since April

Many commuters think the franchise was in disarray before the DOO proposals emerged.

Either way, most commuters I have spoken to are absolutely sick of the blame game going on.

They want this issue resolved and there are now further calls for legislation to stop strikes or binding arbitration.

Unseemly squabbling

So is a resolution likely? Not at the moment.

Could this go on until the end of the franchise? Certainly, now Transport for London (TfL) taking over looks like a non-starter.

Or will the government or the unions compromise? Unlikely at this stage with so much water under the bridge and reputations at stake.

The rail industry is a proud, innovative, inspiring industry that has been reduced to unseemly squabbling and finger pointing.

The cruel irony for passengers - who both sides claim to be getting the best deal for - is that they seem to have been forgotten about.