DEFEND THE GUARD

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: june 2018 :: RMTnews 4 RMT has warned that if the current crisis engulfing huge swathes of Britain's railways isn't tackled as a matter of urgency it will leave a trail of lasting and irreparable damage. Ill-conceived timetable changes, combined with staff shortages and the rank incompetence of Britain's profit- driven private rail companies, have reduced services on GTR, Northern and Trans Pennine Express to chaos with front line staff left to bear the brunt of passenger anger. Instead of taking responsi- bility for his personal failure, the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has instead chosen to prop up the private rail companies and launch an attack on Network Rail - an organisation that has been undermined by financial cuts and the axing of upgrading, renewal and electrification works imposed by Grayling himself. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that the daily chaos on Britain's railways was down to a toxic combination of corporate incompetence and political failure that can be traced directly to the door of Grayling. “Instead of trying to blame everyone other than himself and his private operators he should accept responsibility and go. "The constant attacks on the workforce and Network Rail, an organisation that Grayling has deliberately set out to undermine at every turn on ideological grounds, have to stop and we need a new approach which sees our railways as a vital public service rather than a one way ticket to the bank for greedy and incompetent train companies,” he said. RMT members on Northern Rail stood rock solid and united once again and took further strike action this month in the long running dispute which is about putting public safety and access before private profit on our railways. The union has warned that Northern Rail is planning to shred the safety culture in the same way that they have shredded the timetables as it announced further strike action later this month. A protest over rail safety and the franchise fiasco will also take place outside the Regional Transport Summit being held at DEFEND THE GUARD RMT calls for Transport Secretary Chris Grayling to go before irreparable damage is done to Britain's railways Blackpool Leeds