AS the threat of further strike action looms over disillusioned rail users, South West Trains has taken the decision to give its staff a 7.6 per cent pay increase.

Viewed as Òa positive way forwardÓ by SWT, the decision follows exhaustive talks with the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) which failed to stop damaging strike action and crippled the local network for four days, disrupting hundreds of thousands of passengers.

Acutely aware that the stalemate could not continue, SWT has put its foot down. It has concluded the 2001 pay negotiations by giving all relevant grades a 4.0 per cent award backdated to April with a further 3.6 per cent to follow from this April and another pay review in October this year.

SWT managing director Andrew Haines was adamant: ÒThe recent strikes have been a damaging and painful experience for our passengers, our employees and our company. It is vital that we now move forward and find a way to build the trust between us.

ÒFor all our sakes we have decided to take a positive step and give our staff a pay increase worth 7.6 per cent over 18 months.

ÒWe recognise that this will not be all that everyone wanted but it is, we believe, the best increase in the country and it also gives our employees much of what they said was important to them.

ÒFinally, it has the benefit of giving us all a further opportunity later this year to discuss some of our employeesÕ longer term goals.Ó

The threat of further strike action by RMT workers on Thursday and Friday, January 24 and 25 is expected to cause yet more misery for passengers and has been met with Òextreme disappointmentÓ by SWT.

However, with a pay award several times above the rate of inflation, Mr Haines remains convinced that it is a good offer which could turn the tide.

ÒWe hope our staff will recognise this and accept that we have acted in good faith and bring this damaging disruption to an end,Ó he said.

According to an SWT spokesman, over the last four strike days the company has been able to man an increasing number of trains, with the number rising from 200 to nearly 400 on Tuesday.

In addition, commuter coach links appeared to work well and on Monday and Tuesday local passengers benefited from the addition of an hourly bus service linking Alton, Farnham, Aldershot, Ash and Guildford which ran from seven in the morning until seven at night.

Alton Line UsersÕ Association chairman Chris Campbell believes SWT management should receive Òa pat on the backÓ for the way in which the coach services were managed.

On the whole he has received favourable reports from local users who speak of top managers working on the ground, in direct line of fire, helping commuters to get aboard coaches and on their way.

ÒThey did extremely well under the circumstances,Ó according to Mr Campbell who said that while many local passengers used the coach and bus services provided, others travelled by road, decamped to areas served by different lines, or drove to railheads at Basingstoke and Farnborough.

Frustrated, like others, that the situation has not been sorted out, he believes the current pay award to be ÒsuperbÓ and that the grievance over disciplinary procedures should be dealt with as an entirely separate issue.

While sympathising with Better Rail Advisory Group members, led by David da Costa, whose aim it is to embarrass the government into action by launching a one-day national rail boycott on March 1, Mr Campbell feels support may be limited as some passengers cannot afford to take yet more time off.

But he supports the call by Winchester MP Mark Oaten for passengers to express their frustration by a quiet refusal to show their tickets.

In a statement on Monday Mr Oaten told The Herald: ÒLike most commuters I have completely lost sympathy with the ineffective negotiations between RMT members and South West Trains. Striking is simply an unacceptable means to resolve such disputes. It is clearly in nobodyÕs interests to hold to ransom our regionÕs businesses and infrastructure.

ÒPassengers have had their goodwill stretched to the limit by endless delays and cancellations.

ÒIt is time that they had their own day of peaceful protest. We could register our concerns through quiet refusal to co-operate with on-board ticket inspectors. The time has come to say that enough is enough.Ó