STOP THE DUTCH STATE RIP OFF

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: october 2017 :: RMTnews 6 R MT has welcomed an announcement by Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones that the next Wales and Borders Franchise will keep a safety critical conductor or guard on all trains and services. The union also welcomed a suite of other commitments from the First Minister including a no compulsory redundancy guarantee and a positive framework for discussions with the union rolling stock maintenance, stations and ticket office staff and cleaning and catering staff. Committments have also been given that responsibility and ownership of rail infrastructure will remain with Network Rail and in the event of the Core Valley lines being transferred to the Welsh government ownership and responsibility of the infrastructure will remain in the public sector under Transport for Wales. RMT general secretary Mick Cash described it as a breakthrough for the campaign against driver-only trains and for a safe, secure and accessible railway. “We have been able to engage in very positive and constructive discussions with the First Minster who has made important commitments to protect the jobs and conditions in Wales,” he said. R MT protested outside the Dutch Embassy earlier this month to demand that the Dutch state end its profiteering on Britain’s railways through their Abellio outfit which is driving moves to axe guards on Greater Anglia and Merseyrail services. The Dutch state-owned Abellio is raking in over £1.2 billion in revenues from their UK rail operations which the company openly admits is being used to “benefit” passengers in the Netherlands through improved services and cheaper fares. Dutch state railways also admit that it actually invests very little but haul in massive returns from their UK operations – cash that RMT says should be used to retain guards on Greater Anglia and Merseyrail operations to keep the British travelling public safe. Recent Dutch state rail annual reports from 2015 and 2016 reveal how much The Netherlands is benefiting from their transport operations in Britain as demonstrated by the following extracts. “The passengers who use the train every day in The Netherlands must benefit from our achievements abroad.” Of their overseas rail operations, including Britain, that “the capital invested is relatively limited while a return on investment is achieved of 18 per cent. The expectation is that this will remain the case in the future.” “The revenue from passenger transport by rail in the United Kingdom provided by Abellio was ⇔1,430 million in 2016.” The union is also arguing that if Dutch state-owned Scotrail can reach an agreement guaranteeing the guards on trains then so can its Greater Anglia and Merseyrail companies. RMT general secretary Mick Cash called for an end to the Great British Rail Rip-Off which sees Dutch state-owned Abellio threatening to throw guards off their trains on Greater Anglia and on Merseyside to cuts costs and fatten up profits which are then used to improve services and hold down fares in The Netherlands. “The fact that Theresa May, Chris Grayling and their rotten, minority Tory government think that this outrage is acceptable is nothing short of a national scandal. “Just a fraction of the eye- watering profits shipped from Britain to the Netherlands by Abellio and other overseas rail operators would be enough to keep the guard on our trains and keep the British travelling public safe. “The government claims that we don’t have the money to fund safe and accessible rail services for all is blown out the water when you look at the sheer scale of the foreign state raid on our trains,” he said. STOP THE DUTCH STATE RIP OFF! NO DOO ON WALES AND BORDERS