Southern Rail launches recruitment blitz for drivers as overtime ban and strikes cause mayhem for commuters 

  • Government-backed plans will see 200 trainee drivers recruited by Southern
  • Southern has been gripped by months of industrial action over driver-only trains
  • Another three days of strike action is set to close the railway next week  

By Tim Sculthorpe, Mailonline Deputy Political Editor

Published: | Updated:

The Government has backed a recruitment drive for 200 train drivers in a bid to help ease deadlock on Southern Railways.

The trainees will be brought in to help reduce the overtime pressure on Southern staff.

Unions blasted the recruitment drive, accusing transport secretary Chris Grayling of chasing supportive headlines instead of a resolution to the dispute over the safety of driver-only operated trains.

Southern has been gripped by an escalating programme of strikes for months with a series of walk outs that have closed the railway for days a time.

The Government has backed a recruitment drive for 200 train drivers in a bid to help ease deadlock on Southern Railways (file picture during a strike last month) 

The Government has backed a recruitment drive for 200 train drivers in a bid to help ease deadlock on Southern Railways (file picture during a strike last month) 

Aslef boss Mick Whelan, pictured outside failed talks in December, said the recruitment drive was a Government attempt to chase favourable headlines 

Aslef boss Mick Whelan, pictured outside failed talks in December, said the recruitment drive was a Government attempt to chase favourable headlines 

Some 300,000 commuters rely on the network daily and face three more days of all-out strikes next week.   

A Department of Transport source said the Government will work with GTR to boost recruitment and train hundreds of drivers to cut the need for overtime.

The company will launch an advertising campaign on Monday.

The source said: 'GTR has already embarked on the UK's largest ever driver training programme as part of its objective to maintain a pool of 200 trainee drivers.'

Southern are urging people who want to work part time as drivers to apply, said the source.

More flexible working could open up careers to people from 'all parts of society'.

The reliance on overtime has to stop, the Government believes.

Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said Southern had never employed enough drivers to fulfil its franchise commitments.

'That's why the company is cancelling so many trains, after eroding the goodwill of its drivers, who are no longer working overtime.

Southern Railway commuters, pictured at Victoria Station, have been blighted by months of strikes and overtime bans 

Southern Railway commuters, pictured at Victoria Station, have been blighted by months of strikes and overtime bans 

Southern, run by chief executive Charles Horton, is searching for people who want to work part time as drivers to apply

Southern, run by chief executive Charles Horton, is searching for people who want to work part time as drivers to apply

'It is currently cancelling 25 per cent of its services on non-strike days, because of our overtime ban.

'So it would need to recruit 300 more train drivers just to deliver the service it promised to deliver when it won its franchise.

'As for its plan to recruit a new pool of 200 trainees, I suspect, on cost, and retention of knowledge, it would be a nonsense.

'I see the hand of Chris Grayling (Transport Secretary) here, who wants a headline on a quiet Sunday, rather than a sensible plan to resolve the problem at the heart of this industrial dispute.

'And I wonder which trade union these new drivers would join?

'No one has to be a member of a trade union, but 96 per cent of the train drivers in England, Scotland and Wales choose to belong to Aslef, so I look forward to these new drivers joining our trade union.'

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling (file picture) has backed the plan to recruit 200 trainee drivers to ease pressure on overtime on Southern trains 

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling (file picture) has backed the plan to recruit 200 trainee drivers to ease pressure on overtime on Southern trains 

A GTR spokesman said: 'The campaign is a continuation of what is the UK's largest recruitment campaign of train drivers ever undertaken to meet our ongoing objective to maintain a pool of 200 trainee drivers across the franchise.

'This helps us bring in new fleets of trains across Thameslink and Great Northern and reduce to a minimum our dependence on rest day working so that we can deliver a more consistent service for our passengers.'

Aslef members on Southern staged three strikes last week and are set to walk out for three more days later this month.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union are also embroiled in a dispute with Southern and will strike again later in January.

 

Most watched News videos