SAFETY STRIKES AT NORTHERN AND SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAYS

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: september 2018 :: RMTnews 4 RMT members on Northern and South Western Railways have taken further strike action in to defence the guard in the fight for safety, security and access. The union also repeated calls for urgent talks with both companies in an effort to break the deadlock over the guard guarantee. RMT also demanded to know why the government was effectively bankrolling the disputes with public money, rather than pressing for a negotiated solution. Rail Minister Jo Johnson has now confirmed that both German state-owned Northern Rail and Hong Kong-owned South Western Railway have applied to be reimbursed for revenues lost as a result of not being able to run trains on strike days. RMT research has revealed that on an average day Northern and South Western Railways combined would normally take £3.5 million in passenger revenues. On the basis that there have been a total of over 40 strike days on Northern and South Western Railways, the cost to the taxpayer of this strike bailout will be tens of millions of pounds. The South Western Railways franchise is also teetering on the brink following news that the franchise is being renegotiated less than a year since the new SAFETY STRIKES AT NORTHERN AND SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAYS Government fuels dispute by bailing out franchises with tens of millions in public money for lost revenue Liverpool Waterloo Newcastle