SOMERSET RALLIES AGAINST BUS CUTS

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: march/april 2024 :: RMTnews 7 C hurchill cleaners on the GTR contract have finally won the right to decent messroom facilities at Caterham Station. This follows a nine-year campaign, including a site visit by RMT health and safety reps in December 2022 which showed that the condition of the facilities safety regulations. Following discussions with the employer and the client, it has now been agreed that GTR will fund full renovation works starting in April 2024. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch described this as a great win for Churchill members. “This campaign really showed how determination and long-term strategy combined with collective action can win a better working environment,” he said. RMT members have united with Somerset bus campaigners in a bid to halt swingeing cuts to vital routes. Following the successful demonstration in Yeovil, Somerset Bus Partnership organised another rally in February to oppose the significant service reductions on the 25 bus route with buses every three hours instead of two. Three other bus routes are also affected, with the 54 and 58 service from Taunton to Yeovil and Yeovil to Wincanton facing the axe altogether. The 28 bus service from Minehead to Taunton is also facing a reduction to its timetable. The rally took place in Wiveliscombe Town Square and people were encouraged to attend the rally via the bus from Taunton which stops at Norton, Cotford, Hillcommon and Milverton and arrived in Wiveliscombe before moving on to Dulverton. Cuts to local bus services will be devastating for local communities and companies like First Bus should be putting passengers before profits. David Northey from Somerset Bus Partnership said that it was important to get members of the public involved “to show that actually, the bus services really matter to them". RMT regional organiser Barry West said that the bus services were a "vital and critical link" and the cuts could have an impact on jobs in the area. "We want to support these people in these local rural communities. "Many people who depend on these are vulnerable, the elderly and the disabled," he said. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that First Bus must heed the calls of the local community and halt the cuts to services that are being proposed. "Deregulation and privatisation lie at the heart of the disintegration of local bus services over the years. "Passengers and bus workers must be prioritised with local authorities being given sufficient ring-fenced funding from the government so they can deliver the bus services their communities require via a publicly owned municipal bus company that also owns its buses and depots. "RMT will continue to support this campaign until decent bus services are provided for the people of Somerset,” he said. CHURCHILL CLEANERS MESS ROOM WIN SOMERSET RALLIES AGAINST BUS CUTS Union backs campaign to stop First Bus slashing services across the county