LAST-DITCH talks between union reps and the bosses of Britain’s worst performing railway will kick off today in a bid to avert further strikes.

Members of rail union RMT working at Govia Thameslink Railway’s (GTR) Southern division are due to start the first of five walk-outs next Tuesday.

The dispute with management concerns the de-skilling of conductors’ roles — which unions fear will lead to on-board staff being scrapped altogether, harming safety.

Yesterday leaked emails revealed that bosses had instructed station managers to take down posters that told passengers to attack the RMT on Twitter.

The publicity campaign had prompted a massive backlash from passengers on social media — who instead blamed the company and accused it of foul play.

The email said the campaign had created “extremely negative public sentiment around the brand” and said the posters should be “removed from display and destroyed immediately.”

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said the publicity campaign had cost between a quarter and half a million pounds, and that this was “money that could have been spent on keeping the guards and resolving the dispute.”

Mr Cash added: “This is a despicable and nasty campaign designed by Southern to set their workforce up for abuse and assault.

“It is incitement pure and simple and we are now seeing the consequences.”

Southern declined to comment on the cost of the campaign. 

But a spokesman said the company made “no apologies.”

“Feelings were running high after day one of the campaign and we decided, having taken on board comments from some passengers, not to display the posters at stations,” he added.

Southern has said that it will impose its contractural changes without staff consent if a deal is not reached by noon today.

In a letter to GTR chief executive Charles Horton, Mr Cash said the company had acted “disgracefully” through making “obvious briefings to the media” that members would face the sack if they did not accept the changes to their roles.

“To find out from the media that my members are in danger of losing their jobs is no way for a 21st century employer to treat its workforce or handle a lawful dispute,” he said.