RMT CONDEMNS ‘WHOLLY INADEQUATE’ NETWORK RAIL FUNDING

RMT helpline 0800 3763706 :: november/december 2008 :: RMTnews 7 R MT is seeking an apology from transport police after two track worker members arrested in connection with the Grayrigg crash and kept under caution for eleven months were finally cleared last month. RMT said that systematic management failings, lack of resources and imposition of unrealistic workloads were at the heart of the fatal derailment that took place at Grayrigg, Cumbria, in February 2007. “Our two members and their families have been living under the shadow of suspicion for the best part of a year and the very least they deserve is an apology for arrests that should never have been made, “One of the members, Richard Hodgeson has tragically passed away, compounding the injustice” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said. He said that the arrests amounted to nothing more than a ‘fishing exercise’ and intimidation. Neither of the men was directly involved in maintenance on the points and neither has been involved in any disciplinary following the crash – and in fact no-one has been disciplined for anything directly connected to the tragedy. Both the Rail Accident Investigation Branch final report and Network Rail’s own report into the crash, which claimed the life of Margaret Masson and injured 86 other people, both pointed to management failings, lack of resources and imposition of unrealistic workloads. As a result, RMT renewed its call for a joint public inquiry into the Grayrigg and Potters Bar rail crashes in order to address these structural failings. Similarities between the two crashes, and the coroner’s decision last year to adjourn the inquest into the seven deaths at Potters Bar in 2002 pending the outcome of the Grayrigg investigation, highlighted the need for a joint public inquiry – with a remit that includes examination of the structure and continued fragmentation of the industry. “It is now abundantly clear that the fragmented ‘contract’ culture still prevalent on the railway all played their part in the complex of causes of the Grayrigg derailment,” Bob Crow said. “There is a clear link between funding cuts, unrealistic workloads, inappropriate work practices and fragmentation on the one hand and inadequate standards on the other. “We need an end to the contract culture brought in by private contractors and to shift the emphasis from getting things done quickly and cheaply to doing them properly and R MT has warned that the Office for Rail Regulation announcement on Network Rail funding last month was wholly inadequate for the needs of the system over the next five years and could lead to further tragedies like Grayrigg. The £26.7 billion package ordered by the ORR represents a £2.4 billion shortfall on the £29.1 billion requested by Network Rail – a massive funding gap which can only hamper proposals to enhance the system. Following 30 per cent ‘efficiency savings’ for the period 2003-08 Network Rail must now implement an extra 21 per cent, combining to make a colossal 51 per cent over 10 years. After the government found billions to bail out the bankers we might have expected something of the same for our beleaguered rail system. They are quite clearly trying to fit a pint of beer in a half pint pot. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that the union would resist any resulting job losses and any cuts which might compromise rail safety. “We will not be pushed back into a situation where another Hatfield, Paddington, Potters Bar or Grayrigg tragedy occurs. “That the ORR thinks it possible to develop the railways over the next five years on such a budget, amid projected increases in demand for passengers and freight, defies belief,” he said. The environment and economy are clearly crying out for large-scale enhancements to the system such as the implementation of high-speed lines and the replacement of the remaining diesel- powered engines with electrification. This announcement risks undermining these, as well as countless smaller-scale proposals, before they even reach the planning stage. Network Rail will attempt to make up the shortfall by piling pressure on a workforce which is already working excessively long hours, increasing concerns over health and safety at work. This is especially worrying in the wake of the Rail Accident Investigation Branch report into the Grayrigg derailment, which blamed a lack of resources and imposition of unrealistic workloads for the tragedy. Rather than look to deal with the inefficiencies caused by the contract culture which led to the chaos at Rugby and Liverpool Street last Christmas and New Year period, the company will look to increase the pressure on RMT members working on the rail infrastructure. Before the new round of ‘efficiency savings’ the screw has already been tightened: • S&T teams in Scotland have been reduced from three to two workers, resulting in a large backlog in maintenance work. Maintenance gangs in Scotland are also faced with vacancies being left unfilled. • S&T teams from Carlisle and Warrington are filling vacancies by working overtime. • In the north west of England track inspections are now taking place every two weeks rather than the previous once a week inspection regime. Under British Rail the track was inspected three times a week • In the Anglia region S&T Teams have also been reduced to two workers and there has been a reduction in the rate of track maintenance inspections. RMT CONDEMNS ‘WHOLLY INADEQUATE’ NETWORK RAIL FUNDING Companywatch RMT SEEKS POLICE APOLOGY OVER GRAYRIGG ARRESTS