EUROPEAN RAIL WORKERS SAY NO TO PRIVATISATION THE EU MODEL FOR RAIL

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: november/december 2011 :: RMTnews 8 T housands of rail workers across Europe held protests in November against EU demands for further fragmentation, separation and privatisation of the railways. Trade unions from 13 European countries took action before the European Parliament rubberstamped the so-called ‘recast’ of rail directives that includes a compulsory separation of rail-related services and promotes further liberalisation of rail networks. RMT handed in a letter to the Department of Transport urging the government to oppose the measures, which would remove the rights of member states to decide the future of their railways. The protest came just days after German rail giant Deutsche Bahn took over the Grand Central franchise, paving the way for it to exploit the EU “open-access” diktat to start running services on the East and West Coast routes. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that EU rules had already hugely fragmented the British rail network under EU directive 91/440, implemented by John Major’s Tory government in 1992 as a blueprint to break up and privatise British Rail. “This EU privatisation model demands a split between train operations and infrastructure and ‘open access’ rules in order to fragment the industry to force market mechanisms into what is a natural monopoly. “Now all member states must follow this disastrous EU model, creating the conditions for similar chaos to be let rip across Europe and beyond and preventing the renationalisation of state railways, leaving us at the mercy of the profiteers,” he said. The European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) opposes the EU transport grab and is fighting for “integrated rail companies and affordable high-quality services for passengers”. ETF deputy general secretary Sabine Trier said that EU fragmentation would facilitate social dumping in the railway sector. “Total separation of the railway sector eliminates the benefits of an integrated rail system concerning costs, safety and the quality of customer services. “Moreover, it constitutes a threat for the employment and social conditions of railway workers while any possible advantages of such a separation are still unproven,” she said. Elsewhere in Europe Belgian unions launched 24-hour strike action of rail maintenance workers against the restructuring of Belgian railway maintenance workshops, which anticipates some provisions of the “recast- directive” on separation of rail related services. French ETF affiliates CGT Cheminots, FGTE-CFDT and UNSA took similar 24-hour action against the planned liberalisation of domestic rail- passenger transport and Belgian unions joined them in a demonstration outside European Railway Agency in Lille. Hungarian rail unions plan to distribute leaflets for passengers in the main railway station of each region of Hungary. Outside the EU, Swiss ETF affiliate SEV organised a poster campaign in German, French and English stating: “Dear EU – Swiss public transport – a model of success – that means integrated railways!” EUROPEAN RAIL WORKERS SAY NO TO PRIVATISATION THE EU MODEL FOR RAIL