GUARDS on Southern trains are to stage a five-day strike amid a long-running dispute over company plans to reduce their role, rail union RMT announced yesterday.

RMT members will walk out from August 8.

Southern’s services have been hit by delays and cancellations for several weeks because of the firm’s determination to break the union.

The RMT said it had offered a three-month pause in its strikes if the firm agreed to suspend the introduction of driver-operated doors and allow talks to take place.

“That request has been kicked back in our faces,” said a union spokesman.

“The union wrote to new Transport Secretary Chris Grayling asking for direct talks after he said it was a priority to sort out the chaos on Southern. That letter has been ignored.”

Southern, owned by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), plans to implement changes to the guards’ role on August 21.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “This action has been forced on us by the arrogance and inaction of Govia Thameslink and the government, who have made it clear that they have no interest in resolving this dispute or in tackling the daily chaos on Southern.

“We share the anger and frustration of passengers and we cannot sit back while jobs and safety are compromised on these dangerously overcrowded trains.

“It is disgraceful that neither the company nor the government are prepared to engage and are looking to bully through the extension of driver-only operation.”

Govia Thameslink Railway chief operating officer Dyan Crowther called the strike announcement “unacceptable” and accused RMT of refusing to accept necessary change.