Editing Southern (Govia Thameslink Railway) (section)

===Control of doors and strikes===
{{main|Southern Railway strike (2016–2017)}}
In 2016, Southern altered its method of door operation, with control of the doors moving from the conductor to the driver. Southern said this would allow the conductor to concentrate on the passengers, but the [[National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers|RMT]] and [[Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen]] (ASLEF) unions said that it was an attempt to make conductors unnecessary and would be unsafe. The rail safety regulator, the Rail Standards and Safety Board has said that "We have 30 years of data which we have analysed. We have found that the driver performing the task does not increase the risk to passengers at all."<ref>{{cite magazine |url = http://www.railmagazine.com/news/network/2016/08/18/rssb-no-evidence-of-increased-risk-from-doo |title = RSSB: "No evidence of increased risk" from DOO |access-date = 17 December 2016 |archive-date = 20 December 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161220145649/http://www.railmagazine.com/news/network/2016/08/18/rssb-no-evidence-of-increased-risk-from-doo |url-status = live |magazine = [[Rail Magazine]] }}</ref> During 2016, the RMT and ASLEF unions went on strike over the changes, causing severe disruption to Southern services.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38308461 |title = Southern rail and unions to hold new talks over strikes |publisher = BBC News |date = 13 December 2016 |access-date = 21 June 2018 |archive-date = 27 March 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180327051021/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38308461 |url-status = live }}</ref> The strikes continued into 2017.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38171404 |title = Southern railway pre-Christmas strike dates changed |publisher = BBC News |date = 1 December 2016 |access-date = 21 June 2018 |archive-date = 30 November 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171130080419/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38171404 |url-status = live}}</ref>

The BBC suggested that the RMT union are particularly worried about the new method of operation because if drivers (rather than conductors) control the doors then trains could run without conductors and thus any strike by conductors would not have the power to cancel trains.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38305415 |title = The politics behind the Southern rail dispute |publisher = BBC News |date = 13 December 2016 |access-date = 21 June 2018 |archive-date = 27 March 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180327051013/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38305415 |url-status = live }}</ref>

In December 2016, it was announced that the government would pay £50{{nbsp}}million to Southern to cover the costs of the disruption caused by the strikes, due to a deal between the government and Southern. This deal means that the government pays £38{{nbsp}}million for lost revenue and £15{{nbsp}}million in compensation to passengers. This deal also means that Govia Thameslink Railway will save around £1.1{{nbsp}}million in pay for striking workers.<ref name="Swinford 2016">{{cite news |last = Swinford |first = Steven |title = Taxpayers foot £50m bill for Southern rail strike chaos as ministers prepare to tighten law |newspaper = The Telegraph |date = 13 December 2016 |url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/13/taxpayers-foot-50million-bill-southern-rail-strike-chaos-ministers/ |url-access = subscription |access-date = 23 May 2023 |archive-date=28 December 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161228001326/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/13/taxpayers-foot-50million-bill-southern-rail-strike-chaos-ministers/ |url-status = live }}</ref> Commentators argued that the government gave a management contract rather than a normal franchise to GTR in order to push through DOO. The management contract meant that GTR did not have the incentive to resolve strikes as a normal franchisee would have, as the government lost money from strikes rather than GTR.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.lbc.co.uk/news/the-news-explained/lbcs-long-read-the-southern-rail-debacle/ |title = Why Southern Rail's Strikes May Go on For Years |access-date = 3 January 2017 |archive-date = 4 January 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170104094321/http://www.lbc.co.uk/news/the-news-explained/lbcs-long-read-the-southern-rail-debacle/ |url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.citymetric.com/transport/southern-rail-mess-isn-t-privatisation-failure-it-s-return-1970s-2321 |title = The Southern Rail mess isn't a privatisation failure – it's a return to the 1970s |date = 8 August 2016 |access-date = 3 January 2017 |archive-date = 4 January 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170104162816/http://www.citymetric.com/transport/southern-rail-mess-isn-t-privatisation-failure-it-s-return-1970s-2321 |url-status = live |website = citymetric.com}}</ref>

On 2 February 2017, the TUC announced that talks between Southern and ASLEF had reached an agreement meaning that the dispute with ASLEF had been resolved. However, the RMT union said it was 'betrayed' by Southern and that strikes by the RMT would continue.<ref name="TUC">{{Cite web |url=https://www.tuc.org.uk/about-tuc/statement-successful-resolution-talks-between-gtr-southern-rail-and-aslef |title=Statement on the successful resolution to talks between GTR (Southern Rail) and ASLEF |access-date=2 February 2017 |archive-date=3 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203162636/https://www.tuc.org.uk/about-tuc/statement-successful-resolution-talks-between-gtr-southern-rail-and-aslef |url-status=live }}</ref> On 29 June 2017, ASLEF implemented an overtime ban with the aim of highlighting a claimed failure by Southern to recruit adequate staff.