ALL PARTIES affected by the Southern rail dispute should be brought together in round-table talks, rail union RMT said last night as fresh talks with bosses stalled.

The union said it had entered Monday’s talks “in good faith” but that the failure to gather all the parties was presenting a “major blockage to making progress.”

For over a year Southern has been engaged in a bitter dispute with workers over its expansion of driver-only trains across its network.

Unions and passenger groups have raised concerns over jobs and safety. Drivers, who are represented by another union, Aslef, have twice rejected proposed compromise agreements in ballots - fearing they give too much ground to management.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said “both unions, the Department for Transport and the company” should enter fresh talks “with everything on that table.”

He added: “Meeting in different rooms at different times simply isn’t working.”