Network Rail overground railway train Train Photos (Creative Commons), photo Train Photos (Creative Commons) (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)
Merseyside Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) deplores the refusal of Labour-run Merseyrail to engage in constructive negotiations with the RMT and we continue to offer our full support to the union in their fight to keep guards on trains, including the decision for the next strike. We recognise that our trains need a safety critical role, to be carried out by a fully-qualified guard.
The RMT fight is the fight of all who give priority to safety rather than delivering the highest profit to shareholders. Therefore we condemn in the strongest of terms the local Labour politicians’ decision to press for driver-only operation.
TUSC spokesperson on the city region mayoral election, Roger Bannister, says:
“I fully support the RMT in its campaign to defend safety on trains and call for the proposed driver-only policy to be immediately withdrawn. It’s frankly unbelievable that some Labour politicians are so hell-bent on removing guards from our trains when the public clearly favours their retention, and shocking that Labour’s candidate for city region mayor cannot seem to find the necessary words to condemn this unsafe, unnecessary and unpopular policy. The city region deserves far better than this.”
