09.06.17
RMT demands immediate halt to DOO plans in light of hung Parliament
Rail union RMT has called for an immediate halt to the implementation of driver-only operated (DOO) and driver-controlled operation (DCO) services on the network as a result of today’s hung Parliament announcement, which suggests the Tory policy may lose considerable support.
Speaking after polls revealed earlier today that the Conservatives failed to secure an overall majority – with Labour, led by Jeremy Corbyn, gaining over 30 seats – RMT’s general secretary Mick Cash said: “This election has sent out the clearest possible message that the British people have rejected the Tory programme of cuts, austerity, privatisation and division.
“RMT is calling this morning for an immediate halt to the push to axe the guards on our trains. That was a political policy driven by the Tory Party and should now be buried under the weight of votes that have racked up against Theresa May and her programme. There is no mandate for diluting safety on our transport services.”
Praising Labour’s turnaround as a “fantastic development that rocked the political world to its foundations”, Cash revealed he would be writing to Northern, Southern and Merseyrail – the three operators targeted by union industrial action – today “demanding that they lift the threat to the guards on their trains”.
The general secretary argued he expected the TOCs to oblige with immediate effect “in light of this election result”.
Over the last few months – and indeed the past year in the Southern network – RMT members have launched strikes on the three operators’ networks as part of a fight against plans to introduce DOO and DCO services, which would see the guard removed from the train. Despite rail bodies pointing to the contrary, RMT believes this will effectively compromise passenger safety.
The dispute has dragged on for so long – with countless failed talks and rejected deals – that it has even been made the centre focus of a new satirical play, which tells of a romance between two commuters blighted by industrial action, crowded trains and delays.
(Top image c. Nick Ansell/PA Wire)