FIGHTING ASSAULTS

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: may/june 2026 :: RMTnews 16 Abuse against rail workers remains at “unacceptable levels”, with football-related disorder identified as a major driver of serious incidents agreed train crew members gathered at the union’s national organising conference in Plymouth. Martin McCleary, Berwick Rail backed the union’s ongoing Action Against Assaults campaign and highlighted the risks faced daily by staff. He argued that a significant proportion of serious incidents occur around football fixtures, particularly where large groups of supporters are travelling. Moving a successful motion, he said that train managers, guards, conductors and onboard crew are routinely left to deal with overcrowding, alcohol-fuelled disorder, open drug use and passengers refusing to follow safety instructions. “We had an assault last week at Darlington station. We offered a guy a glass of water, and the reward for that is to get punched repeatedly in the face and end up in hospital. “This is in some ways unpredictable. But this resolution is different because... football fixtures are predictable. “Members are filled with dread and fear,” adding that football clubs are failing to take responsibility for supporter behaviour while travelling, despite benefiting financially from away fixtures. He pointed out that there was an expectation tickets would not be checked on certain trains because of possible violent response from some football fans. “We’re rewarding bad behaviour then? “We’ve got to change that culture of acceptance. Just because you claim to be a football fan, and you get coked up to your eyeballs, it FIGHTING ASSAULTS Train crew conference calls for action against growing number of assaults on the network MEETING: Train crew gather in Plymouth