24 HOUR STRIKE AT VINCI

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: march 2019 :: RMTnews 6 New Office of Road and Rail figures reveal that train operators paid themselves another £300 million in dividends last year, money that could have instead been used to fund the retention and expansion of staffing levels on trains and platforms at a time when violent and anti-social behaviour on the railway is soaring out of control. At the same the train operators returned to the government £300 million less than in previous years. The key points of the ORR report are: • In 2017-18, the government received £400 million from train operators. This is £300 million less than the previous year. Coincidentally, the declared dividends paid by train operators into the pockets of their shareholders was also £300 million. • Dividends have increased by 6.5 per cent compared to five years ago. • ORR reveal that "over the last five years, dividends have remained equivalent to around 2.5 per cent of passenger fares" which is substantially higher than the two per cent claimed by the Rail Delivery Group. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that he hard truth was that another £300 million that could have been invested in guaranteeing safe staffing levels and improving services has been siphoned out of the railway in dividends by the greedy private train operators while they have slashed their returns to the public purse by the same amount. “This racket needs to end and our railways returned to public ownership with all of the cash generated re-invested in services and bringing fares back to an affordable level,” he said. R MT members working at Vinci as cleaners on the Arriva Rail Contract took 24- hour strike action last month after voting overwhelmingly for strike action over pay and conditions. The cleaners, who formerly worked for Carillion before its collapse and were transferred to outsourcing company Vince, organised visible picket lines at Willesden Junction, Gospel Oak, Hoxton, New Cross Gate and Hackney Downs before making their way to Arriva Rail London’s head office in Swiss Cottage where a mass demonstration was mounted. RMT general secretary Mick Cash congratulated members for returning a phenomenal result in the ballot for industrial action. “This result provides the union with a clear mandate to fight against below inflation pay offers. You have y demonstrated a clear sense of solidarity and unity and backed it up with a solid display of industrial action. “Your union believes that you should be adequately rewarded for all your hard work but the company thinks that it can pay their workers a pittance and get away with it and it is time to prove them wrong,” he said. A meeting will take place at Unity House later this month to discuss tactics in the next phase of the fair pay campaign. 24 HOUR STRIKE AT VINCI Private operators hand themselves £300 million in dividends GREAT RAIL RIP-OFF ROLLS ON