Labour has now come out in full support of this ruinous strike. Perversely this is a smart move. Because it is now a major political issue in the south and neither the government (or the company) nor the unions have put their case with any coherence, leading to a complete breakdown in public confidence and patience. This morning the Labour Transport Shadow explained the dispute with great clarity on Today. The issue involving safety is about the very high volume of passengers on these lines in the rush hour and the length, twelve coaches, of the trains. As a regular user of the Southern service, when it is running, I can vouch for that. Not only do the trains become crowded, but so do the platforms. So whilst it is perfectly safe to have driver operation of the doors on many lines, I can vouch for the fact that on this line it most likely is not.
It is unfortunate that this has not been made clear before. Labour now having entered the fray, must bring it to a head with a big political challenge about putting cash before the safety of passengers (an historic problem on these lines which has caused many deaths in the past). It must demand a moratorium on the current dispute and the cancelling of this idiotic franchise, with full public ownership of this segment now. We can then have joined up management of both the track and the trains. The travelling public has had more than enough.
This does not alter the fact that the unions have articulated their case with great clumsiness and that strikes to modern industrial relations are as lynching is to justice. There is a better way. Always.