FIGHT FOR NORTHERN RAIL SERVICES

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: november/december 2015 :: RMTnews 6 R MT members held a protest in Leeds city centre recently over growing concerns that the government is set to cut job, services and safety on rail services across the north of England. Ticket office and station office staff were among RMT members demonstrating outside the Queens Hotel hosting this year’s National Rail Conference, where Rail Minister Claire Perry spoke. RMT highlighted concerns about the new Northern and TransPennine Express train franchises, which will be jointly managed by a shadowy group called ‘Rail North’. RMT organiser Craig Johnston said that the government was planning to award the franchise for operating rail services in the north of England to either the Dutch, French or German state railways. “The Tories are handing the north of England’s railways over to the Germans, Dutch or French state railways so that those people can make profits. “They are also proposing specifications in the franchise that will bring in less safe and less customer friendly driver operated only trains and potential cuts to station staff and ticket offices. “We are calling on Labour councillors who are part of Rail North to oppose the government’s franchise specifications and to actively fight the specifications in the franchises and to campaign for rail services, rail safety and rail jobs across the north of England,” he said. A Department for Transport spokeswoman claimed that “giving driver’s responsibility for opening and closing doors frees up on-board staff to provide the high level of customer service that passengers deserve”. Councillors from Leeds City Council are among members of Rail North, which is made up of northern local authorities charged with overseeing future rail franchises in the north of England Among the speakers at the conference were former Tory transport minister Steven Norris who held a number of leading positions with private rail contractor Jarvis which was maintaining the track when the tragic rail disaster at Potters Bar occurred in 2002 killing seven people. Jarvis immediately blamed the tragedy on sabotage, a charge the HSE later declared to be completely unfounded and blamed faulty maintenance. A year later Network Rail took all track maintenance in- house, ending the use of private contractors except for large-scale renewal or development projects. FIGHT FOR NORTHERN RAIL SERVICES Union protests over plans to introduce driver-only operation on Northern and TransPennine Express train franchises