Andy McDonald MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, responding to reports that Southern Rail have issued a formal legal challenge to prevent strike action from going ahead, said:

“Nobody wants to see these strikes go ahead, least of all staff. But the way to avoid industrial action is for all parties to get back around the table and reach a negotiated settlement, not by launching legal challenges.

“Southern are disregarding concerns over safety on our increasingly overcrowded network and are demonstrating an unwillingness to come to a workable agreement.

“The way to resolve this dispute is clear. Southern should follow the lead of ScotRail who, through negotiating with the RMT and ASLEF, were able to guarantee a second safety critical member of staff, to the benefit of passenger safety and accessibility, avoiding industrial action. There’s no reason for Southern not to do the same.”