NOW RENATIONALISE THE LOT

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: sept 2014 :: RMTnews 8 Unions and campaigners gathered at the headquarters of Network Rail last month to mark the day that the organisation was effectively recognised as a nationalised public body by the government. Instead of being a ‘not for dividend’ company in the private sector, the government has stated that Network Rail will be a “central government body in the public sector”. The government has been forced to reclassify Network Rail as a public sector body following a decision taken by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This significant move comes because the ONS has said that because of the government, close relationship with Network Rail it has to be treated as being in the public sector. This represents an important moment in the campaign for the renationalisation of the railway. The decision supports the union’s belief that as the railways are a public service, reliant on public funding, they should be under public ownership. However RMT is fully aware that the move into the public sector may be used as an opportunity by the Tories to argue for the break-up of Network Rail and its reprivatisation into Railtrack Two – ignoring the lethal failures that followed the last experiment in the private operation of rail infrastructure. RMT acting general secretary Mick Cash said that Network Rail moving into the public sector should be the start of the process to return the entire rail network to public ownership and create a wholly integrated, nationalised and democratically accountable railway run for the benefit of the whole of society. “The recognition of Network Rail as a fully-fledged public body, under public control and ownership, should be seen as the spring-board for taking the entire rail network back into the public fold. “Any attempt by the right to use this as an opportunity to argue for dragging us back to the lethal days of privatised rail infrastructure under Railtrack will be fiercely resisted. “The truth is that if the vast sums sucked out of our railways by the private train companies were reinvested in infrastructure, capacity and staffing under a publicly- controlled body we could end the two decades of private profiteering, fragmentation and under-investment which has dragged our railways into the slow lane while charging some of the most extortionate fares in Europe,” he said. NOW RENATIONALISE THE LOT Union calls for the whole rail network to be taken back into public ownership as government finally recognises Network Rail as a public body O N F I R S T G R E A T W E S T E R N SAVE THE TRAVELLING CHEF