https://www.theguardian.com/uk

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“There are two main elements to why I, and most of my colleagues, are striking. We haven’t had a pay rise for three years – normally we have an annual cost-of-living-based rise roughly in line with inflation. Previously, through negotiation, a compromise would be found. In this particular spate of industrial action, this hasn’t been the case, we feel the government is using it as a political football and to demonise strikers.

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“We’re not against modernisation and we have [done so] but it should be a matter of negotiation, not something imposed from on high. We’re realistic – we realise the way people travel has changed but not that significantly, and numbers are bouncing back. We’re also concerned about de-staffing on trains and stations – not everyone wants to use vending machines, some elderly people find them challenging, and they don’t offer the full range of fares. Having no staff on some stations and then no guards on the train will increase fare evasion too.

“We’re genuinely sorry about the [strike’s] negative impact on those travelling before Christmas. [But] for us, it’s not just about pay, we’re making a stand against what we regard as massively negative plans to gut the railways. We don’t want the railway to become like P&O – it seems to be the way everything is going. I’ll lose thousands of pounds this month through striking but we’re going to fight it.”