First Great Western strikes imminent as row not resolved

Workers at First Great Western are set to go on strike this weekend after a row over new trains couldn’t be resolved.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union will leave work for 24 hours on Sunday, starting from from 00:01, which will cause major disruption to services.

First Great Western runs lines across the South East and Thames Valley.

Workers are walking because they believe the introduction of the new Hitachi Inter City trains will cause job losses, especially to onboard catering facilities.

First Great Western spokesmen told ITV: “We have held a positive meeting with the RMT and while, disappointingly, no agreement has been reached, we plan to meet again on Monday. This means that the strike action planned by the RMT on Sunday is likely to go ahead.

“Trains will run to an amended timetable, with around 70% of our regular Sunday service running. Customers should check before they travel.

“The brand new Super Express Trains will deliver more seats, faster journey times and more frequent journeys for our passengers. Our plans mean more train managers and customer hosts on board our trains, not less.”

A RMT spokesperson added: “Despite strenuous efforts we have failed to reach an agreement with First Great Western on the fundamental issues at the heart of the dispute over the introduction of the new Hitachi trains. As a result the action this Sunday goes ahead. The union remains available for talks.”