DFT TO ‘RIG’ RAIL FRANCHISE MARKET

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: january 2017 :: RMTnews 5 R evelations in the media that the Department of Transport intend to rig the rail franchise market to ensure privateers have their profits protected must be explained to Parliament and rail passengers. The Times newspaper revealed details of a ‘private meeting’ between Department for Transport’s managing director of Passenger Services Peter Wilkinson and HSBC bank in which it was alleged the department would loosen financial agreements to “protect future franchises” and even “retrofit” existing franchises to alleviate the impact of any fall in passenger numbers. Previously, Mr Wilkinson is on record as saying that staff that resist changes to working practices can "get the hell out of my industry”. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that it simply confirmed what the union has been consistently saying for over twenty years. “Train operating company profits are not earned in the market but politically fabricated out of regulatory obfuscation, political expediency and dodgy contracts which create profitable positions for private shareholders in a subsidised industry. “How the Managing Director of Passenger Services can be promising a bank protection for this bogus profit laundering franchising system is beyond belief and is something the Secretary of State must urgently explain to Parliament,” he said. expect drivers to operate trains which it knows are unsafe – because it concedes the work the ORR wants done has not yet been completed – which proves, yet again, that this is all about putting profit before passenger safety,” he added. Mick Cash said that there were far wider guards’ role of evacuating a train such as during an accident, fire or terrorist incident and a suite of other safety competencies. "The recent derailment at Watford, where the guard evacuated the train alone, has been completely ignored which shows what a servile shambles the ORR really is. “This unmitigated disaster of a forced introduction of an unsafe system has to stop, by breaching their own rules and not having competent staff in place the current system is not “a safe method of working”. “The government now needs to urgently explain to the public why they are letting this basket case management of the franchise continue to wreak havoc on their daily lives and endanger their lives in the process. “RMT will continue to fight for rail safety despite this coordinated attack from government, their wholly-owned regulators and the rip-off train companies," he said. • The standard rail industry operation is with a guard. • This dispute is not just about closing or opening doors it is about the guarantee of the second safety critical person on the train for safety, security and accessibility reasons. • It is not about the introduction of new trains. Scotrail, First TransPennine Express, Virgin East Coast and First Great Western are introducing brand new trains with the guarantee of a second safety critical person on every train. • For employers and the Department of Transport the chief difference with Driver-Only Operation is cost as it is cheaper to run trains without a guard and that is the main driver for this change. • With no guarantee of a guard on all services, vulnerable passengers will be disadvantaged, especially at unstaffed stations and on the train in the event of an emergency. This is particularly the case when many Govia Thameslink Railway stations are unstaffed. • Disability groups have voiced their opposition to DOO and it is not clear whether Govia Thameslink Railway and the government have met their equality obligations The special in-depth four page pull out has been inserted into this magazine further explaining the nature of this dispute WHAT THE DISPUTE IS ABOUT DFT TO ‘RIG’ RAIL FRANCHISE MARKET