Councillor calls for fresh talks to avert rail strike

8:37am Thursday 27th March 2008

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Wandsworth Council's spokesman on transport issues has called on rail bosses and union leaders to resume talks to avert next week's scheduled industrial action on South West Trains services.

A strike is scheduled to begin on Monday, March 31 and continue until midnight on Thursday, April 3.

On these four days - South West Trains expect to run only very limited services in London and the Home Counties.

It is anticipated that no trains will be stopping at Putney, Wandsworth Town, Earlsfield, Queenstown Road and Barnes stations.

There will also be significantly reduced local services at Clapham Junction.

Such a lengthy stoppage is likely to cause huge inconvenience to borough residents who rely so heavily on overground services to commute into London and to staff at local companies and organisations who live outside the capital.

Now Councillor Guy Senior, Wandsworth's executive member for planning and transportation has called on SWT and rail union Aslef to hammer out a deal and avoid strike action.

Coun Senior said: "It is absolutely vital that union chiefs and company bosses sit around a table and reach an agreement before it's too late.

"A strike that cripples virtually all local rail services for such a long period of time will cause enormous disruption and inconvenience.

"As well as the obvious burden it will place on workers travelling to their jobs and children travelling to school, many carers rely on the overground network to visit sick relatives, and being unable to catch a train for four days will be a real problem for them.

"For some people who live outside London and need to travel into the capital to work, it may be simply impossible for them to make that journey - so there are serious economic consequences at stake here.

"Companies will see a fall in production, while some employees, particularly those in low paid jobs could also lose pay.

"What we are also likely to see for those four days is a big increase in traffic congestion and longer and more difficult bus journeys.

"That is why it is so vital that talks between the two sides continue and every effort is made to reach a deal in this dispute."

People who normally rely on SWT services are being advised to start thinking about alternative methods of travel in case the strike action does proceed.