Southern Rail strike: RMT union accuses train company of bullying staff as strike looms

Rail union leaders have accused Southern Rail of bullying and intimidating its staff ahead of another walkout this week.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union hit out at the company after a letter was sent to Southern workers urging them not to join in Wednesday’s looming strike.

Union members plan to walk out for 24 hours on Wednesday – the 29th strike since the bitter dispute over the role of conductors started nearly a year ago.

Angie Doll, Southern's passenger services director, said in the letter: "I am sorry to have to write to you again in these terms. I had hoped that we would have put the industrial action behind us."

She said the strikes had caused "immeasurable damage" to passengers, staff, the regional economy and the rail industry.

"We must bring this dispute to an end for everyone's sake," she wrote, adding that services had improved in recent weeks.

"It would be a great shame if this progress was lost due to further industrial action.

"If you do participate in the industrial action you will be unpaid for any shift that you are rostered to work.

"I would like to remind you that taking part in strike action will put you in breach of contract.

"Furthermore we will consider applying additional individual sanctions should RMT call further action in which you participate."

RMT leader Mick Cash said: "Instead of getting back into serious talks Southern Rail have gone back to a campaign of threats, bullying and intimidation of their staff who are doing nothing more than standing up for passenger safety. It is disgraceful behaviour.

"RMT's action remains on and we will not bend to these kind of disgusting dirty tricks from a company that puts private profit before public safety."

A spokesman for Southern's owners, Govia Thameslink Railway, said: "This is a letter from employer to employee urging them to stop this pointless strike and to stop the misery and disruption their action is having on the hardworking travelling public and the regional economy".

Southern has warned that the strike will cause disruption to services. The company remains in dispute with the drivers' union Aslef after its members rejected a deal aimed at resolving a row about driver only trains.