PARLIAMENTARY COLUMN

Rail unions, the TUC and transport campaigners launched a campaign this month to fight job cuts, service reductions, ticket office closures and fare hikes in the rail industry. At a meeting with MPs at the House of Commons, union leaders and representatives from the Campaign for Better Transport raised their concerns about the government’s proposals for the future of rail as outlined in the Rail Command Paper. Concerns raised included the creation of multiple regional ‘Railtracks’ through the fragmentation of Network Rail, its capture by private operators through greater integration with Train Operating Companies (TOCs) and the selling of rail infrastructure through regional concessions, putting maintenance and safety at risk. The campaign will also highlight issues such as service reductions and punishing fare hikes for peak time commuters resulting from more flexible and longer TOC franchises, the closure of more than 650 ticket offices, job cuts of up to 20,000 rail staff on stations, trains, ticket offices, signalling and maintenance and pay cuts. Rail unions also pressed the case for better value for money and cost effectiveness through a national integrated railway under public ownership. Chairing the event, TUC deputy general secretary Frances O’Grady said that the costs of the dysfunctional privatised rail system had fallen on the passenger and the taxpayer while billions had leaked out of the industry through wasteful transaction costs, dividends and profits. “The government’s proposals do nothing to address the problems created by privatisation and the government mantra remains: privatisation works, let’s have more of it,” she said. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said that the solution was simple. “Bring rail back under a single integrated management under public ownership,” he said. Campaigns Director at Campaign for Better Transport Richard Hebditch said that passengers wanted more available staff, affordable trains and a reliable service. “For the foreseeable future, we expect to see inflation plus three per cent fare rises on regulated fares and now there will punishing fare hikes for those commuters who travel during peak hours, most of whom are forced to do so by the hours that they work,” he said. Shadow transport minister Maria Eagle said that the government’s rail strategy was set to put private profit before passengers thanks to its inability to stand up to vested interests. “Passengers are already feeling the impact of fare rises of up to 11 per cent this year thanks to the government’s decision to give back to train companies the right to hike fares by more than the so-called fare cap. “We now know from the refranchising tender documents that bidders have been promised the right to hike fares by eight per cent above inflation in 2013 and 2014 and then six per cent above inflation every year for the next 15 years. “To add to the pressure facing commuters, ministers are also set to give TOCs even greater freedoms, including permitting even more expensive ‘super peak’ tickets and closing ticket offices, making it harder to get the cheapest deals. “As a result of these plans, profit will now be the driving principle behind rail infrastructure in addition to rail services. “The proposed deep alliances will see a single regional manager for the first time being accountable not just to Network Rail, but equally to private train company bosses. “The creation of a set of mini-‘Railtracks’ will take us back to the days when decisions on infrastructure and maintenance were profit–driven,” she warned. FIGHTING JOB CUTS AND FARE HIKES RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: april 2012 :: RMTnews 9 Parliamentary column Voters in Thurrock, Essex voted for a referendum on European Union membership this month by a margin of 90 per cent in a turnout of over 30 per cent. The Electoral Reform Services carried out the historic poll on behalf of the cross-party People’s Pledge campaign in the constituency and 89.9 per cent of voters backed the referendum call in an impressive turnout of 30.39 per cent. Backing the pledge, RMT general secretary Bob Crow spoke at a public meeting with Labour MP Kate Hoey in Grays urging people to vote. "The people of Thurrock have punched through the wall of silence erected by the political class over the issue of EU membership. "The EU is imposing austerity and privatising public services on behalf of big business across Europe yet our politicians don't want us to even discuss it. "Now they will find this strategy of silence a lot harder to maintain," he said. Throughout the campaign local Tory MP Jackie Doyle-Price, and her Labour challenger, Polly Billington, refused even to acknowledge the pro-democracy campaign. Pledge director Ian MacKenzie said that in a seat with a majority of just 92 at the last election, neither politician could now afford to ignore 14,590 local voters, almost as many as each of their parties polled in the general election. “We are going to plan nationally for the next 11 People’s Pledge referendums,” he said. RMT president Alex Gordon said the result was an emphatic rejection of the EU agenda of trying to erase “hard-won historic rights to make our own laws and decide our own future”. “The EU is imposing a form of pre-democratic, corporate feudalism – government by EU diktat that is reducing the status of Greece, Portugal and Ireland to neo-colonial outposts,” he said. THURROCK BACKS EU REFERENDUM