Mayor welcomes suspension of RMT strikes

Reacting to the news that the RMT have suspended their strike action on Northern, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham said: “Taking guards off the trains was always going to undermine confidence in our railways. That is why I have backed the RMT’s call to keep the guard on our trains and I am pleased that this principle has now been accepted by the Department for Transport and Northern.

“Today’s announcement is good news for the public. It will help to keep trains safer and more accessible for everybody.

“In particular, I want to thank Brendan Barber who mediated between the operator and the RMT, as well as the Minister Andrew Jones, who has taken a constructive approach to this issue since he took office.

“While this is a welcome step forward it is not yet a final agreement. I hope Brendan Barber can bring the two sides together to reach that soon. In addition, we now need to see a full service being restored on Sundays so passengers have a full weekend rail service once again.”

Article Published: 06/02/2019 17:23 PM