Public services not private profit

RAIL UNION RMT warned today that the Government could be preparing an action replay of the Thameslink stitch-up of Bombardier over the Crossrail contract as it emerged that Transport Secretary Justine Greening has sabotaged a plan that would have potentially saved train building in the nation that gave the railways to the world.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: “Despite the long public row over the Thameslink stitch- up, and the threat to over 10,000 jobs at Bombardier in Derby and in the supply chain, reports today suggest that the Government are planning an action replay over Crossrail in a move that would kill UK train building once and for all.

RMT members will be protesting tomorrow (Tuesday November 8) at 10am outside the Department for Transport and the European Commission London Office against moves to expand its model for rail privatisation which has caused havoc in Britain and across the continent with no democratic mandate to do so.

The protest comes just days after German rail giant Deutsche Bahn took over the Grand Central franchise, paving the way for them to use the EU “open access” diktat to start running services on the East and West Coast routes.

A Labour conference report revealed that public ownership of rail could save £1.2 billion and that 71% believe train operators are fleecing the public and only 19% believe railways should remain in private hands.

Reuniting the railways under public ownership could save the taxpayer £1.2bn a year according to a briefing from the Transport for Quality of Life Think Tank to be presented at Labour Party conference today - 28th September.

THE RMT AGM in Fort William has sent a message of “full and unconditional” support to the three quarters of a million workers taking action today against Government attacks on their pensions.

RMT has also pledged to co-ordinate its campaigning and action against the McNulty assault on the railways with other workers facing similar attacks on their jobs, pay and pensions over the coming months.

Speaking from the RMT AGM in Fort William, RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:

Fares hikes hit lower- and middle-income families disproportionately hard

PASSENGERS ON privatised UK trains are having to fork out £4.6 billion a year more than equivalent travellers in France, where railways remain publicly owned, a study undertaken for RMT, Britain's biggest rail union, has found.

THE AGM of rail union RMT, meeting in Fort William this week, has endorsed plans for a massive national campaign, including a cross-industry strike ballot if necessary, to resist any attempts by the Government to roll out its McNulty Rail Review assault on Britain’s railways.

First RMT briefing on the McNulty Review of the Railways, 27 May 2011

Background

The McNulty review Realising the Potential of GB Rail; Report of the Rail Value for Money Study was published on 19th May 2011. The review was commissioned by the last Government and continued by the current Government to “improve value for money to passengers and the taxpayer.”

Privatisation has resulted in a massive increase in costs

Three times as expensive

Dear Colleague,

As you will be aware the Government has today published the McNulty report into the railways. This circular, briefing and a video are on the RMT website at  www.rmt.org.uk/mcnulty 

The union has made numerous representations into the McNulty review. Predictably however   the report is underpinned by the same ideology that led to the disastrousprivatisationof the railways and seems designed to appease the vested interests of the privatised train operating companies.

RMT GGC adopted the following report:

We welcome the transfer of the train maintenance contract on London Underground’s Jubilee Line from the privately-owned Alstom to the publicly-owned Tube Lines. This comes at a time when the Jubilee Line is plagued by delays and disruptions, and illustrates that this union was right to campaign against the contracting-out of this work.

We note the resolution from our London Transport Regional Council, and agree with its sentiments.

Transport providers - in London Transport and elsewhere - charge exorbitant fares while often providing substandard services, which can lead to abuse and assault against our members. While claiming that they "can't afford" cheaper fares or better pay and conditions for our members, the companies continue to pay fat-cat salaries and bonuses to their top bosses and allow private companies to cream off obscene profits. Fares should be substantially lowered, funded through public subsidy raised by taxing the rich and big business, and ending fat-cat payouts and private profiteering.

An Open Conference of Fighting Transport Unions – 31 January 2011

TfL have accepted Wonga.com as sponsors of free travel on New Year's Eve.

Wonga is a 'pay day loan' company with a typical APR of 2689%. If you were to borrow a fiver from them for one day - enough to cover a single journey on the tube, you'd owe them £10.60.

For many Londoner's, these loans may seem to be the only way to access funds, more so as decent jobs are cut and employee rights eroded following the ConDem goverments and bosses attacks on working class people - as can be seen at LU where 800 positions will be cut.

Cuts for us, business as usual for them

Venue: Council Chamber, Camden Town Hall, Judd Street WC1 Click '1 attachment' / file name to download a leaflet advertising this meeting.

Speakers so far:

• Alex Gordon President, RMT Transport Union
• Andrew Baisley Secretary, Camden National Union of Teachers (NUT)
• Imran Khan Human Rights Lawyer, People’s Charter
• Tracy Edwards Youth Officer, Public & Commercial Services union (PCS)
• Candy Udwin Central London Right to Work
• Raj Chada Chair of Holborn & St Pancras Constituency Labour Party (pc)

TRANSPORT UNION RMT today slammed what it described as “the ConDem’s budget for the rich” – warning of widespread community and industrial resistance once people realise the full scale of the impact of the Government’s cuts plans for public services and the true cost for jobs and standards of living.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:

This is what our two failed Infracos said about themselves before they signed their PPP contracts ...

"Tube Lines believes that it will add value to the vital public service provided by LUL by delivering on time and to budget."

"Metronet has the skills, the knowledge and the ability along with sound financial backing to help turn London Underground into a system fit for the 21st century."

If anyone had to eat their words, the bosses of these consortia would have alphabetti spaghetti on the menu for years to come ...

RMT members recently protested outside Whitechapel Station. The East London Line which runs through Whitechapel has reopened, but this once publicly owned railway is now making profits for privateers. Whilst RMT welcomes the extension of the line, we want it brought back under government control as a public railway, where profit is fed back into the service.

You can see more RMT videos at RMTv.

On Sunday 23rd May the extended East London Line will re-open, as part of private company, LOROL (London Overground). Obviously we support the extension but not when part of the tube network has been privatised through the back door. The whole of LOROL should be integrated with London Underground and owned and run by the Greater London Authority, elected by Londoners, which is RMT policy.

From the Labour Representation Committee ...

The left and trade unions have started organising a broad coalition against the incoming coalition government and its plans to cut public services, jobs, pensions and benefits. There is no popular mandate for cuts and, as in Greece, any attempt to impose them will be firmly resisted.

John McDonnell MP, LRC Chair, said:

Update: TfL have now confirmed this story, saying it will cost £310m to buy out Tubelines.

It is being reported that TfL are planning to buy out Tubelines shareholders and put the final nail in the PPP coffin. The Times reports that TfL "will buy out Amey and Bechtel, the shareholders that control Tube Lines."