RMT warns of national fight against ‎cuts at Network Rail

RAIL UNION RMT warned today of a national industrial fight across the railway network if the Williams Review - widely expected to be published this week - sets it's sights on the workforce while handing the private train companies ‎gold-plated management contracts and a free ride.

General Secretary Mick Lynch said;
'As we emerge from the pandemic our railway needs a radical new forward thinking strategy to expand and improve services to make them more reliable, affordable and accessible, allowing the network to‎ play is full role in rebuilding our economy and reducing carbon emissions.

'Instead all the signals are that the Shapps/ Williams review will be stuck in the past and wedded to the failure of privatisation. It's the same meat with different gravy served up by the Tories and their rail fat cat friends.

'We are already seeing the reality of rail under this government with thousands of Network Rail and other jobs under threat, fare hikes for passengers and pay freezes for workers. We know full well that the industry is preparing for a tsunami of cuts, enabling the rail companies to return to a culture of massive dividend payments and corporate greed.

'Underpinning this rightward rail policy shift are reactionary proposals to allow‎ the employers to bulldoze through their cuts agenda by attacking jobs, pay, pensions working conditions and the safety culture. RMT will fight any such plans with a national strategy and we have already moved the union onto a dispute footing in preparation for that fight. '