ROCK SOLID

RMT members on Southern, Greater Anglia, South Western Railways and Island Line, Northern and Merseyrail have taken action against the extension of Driver-Only Operation in the latest phase of the fight for safety before the profiteering of private rail companies. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that political and public support was flooding in as communities stood against the drive to throw safety-critical staff off trains. “At the recent Wimbledon derailment it was the guard on that train who safely evacuated 300 passengers in an emergency situation. “Those are the same guards that South Western Railway used to call ‘legends’ and who they now want to throw off their trains. “They are the same guards who have kept passengers safe for years on Merseyrail, Greater Anglia, Southern and Northern Rail. “The Rail Delivery Group bosses club need to answer why they are now going back on their supressed own report which said that guards were in the frontline in providing assistance to disabled and older passengers and that there should always be a member of on- board staff to assist passengers. “All of these disputes have a common theme and that is a drive by foreign-owned rail companies to axe guards on Britain’s trains in order to put private profit before public safety and accessibility. “It is sickening that Chris Grayling and his supporters in the RDG are prepared to cheer on overseas operators who are robbing British passengers in order to subsidise transport services in Paris, Amsterdam and Hong Kong ,” he said. Analysis of South Western Railway’s existing policy for protecting older and disabled passengers found 140 – or 7 out 10 – of the company’s stations are unstaffed. The current policy recognises this by guaranteeing an additional member of staff on “every” and “all trains”, to help disabled and older passengers at unstaffed stations. Under Grayling’s plans for South Western, this policy will be ripped up as there will no longer be that guarantee of on train staffing. Where similar arrangements have been introduced on Southern disabled passengers have been left stranded at stations. On Northern even local Tory MP for Copeland, Trudy Harrison – a marginal seat – has joined Labour and Lib Dems in calling for train guards to be retained. York Central MP and Shadow Rail Minister Rachael Maskell joined an RMT picket at York rail station. She said that guards not only ensure that trains are safely dispatched, in providing a second pair of eyes to ensure that the doors are clear. “They also ensure passenger safety and I urge Northern to come up with a workable solution to the deadlock,” she said. RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: november/december 2017 :: RMTnews 4 ROCK SOLID RMT members stand strong in strike action for rail safety Basingstoke