RMT protests against new Northern Rail franchise

Transport union RMT protests against new Northern Rail franchise plans

RMT members protesting against new Northern Rail franchise, photo by Iain Dalton

RMT members protesting against new Northern Rail franchise, photo by Iain Dalton   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Iain Dalton, Leeds Socialist Party

“We’re skimming profit from the entire Deutsche Bahn and ensuring that it is anchored in our budget – that way we can make sure it is invested in the rail network here in Germany.”

This was a quote from a German transport ministry spokesperson featured on RMT leaflets as Deutsche Bahn subsidiary Arriva, took over the Northern Rail franchise. The new franchise includes significant cutbacks including plans to remove guards from trains by introducing driver-only operation on 50% of services.

Socialist Party and Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition members joined members of the RMT union protesting against this at Leeds station on 1 April. Many remarked on the irony that we’d been campaigning for the franchise to be re-nationalised, but the only nationalisation the Tory government seems to approve is to other state rail operators.

The RMT had invited Jeremy Corbyn to support the protests, and featured a supportive letter from him on their website which stated: “We fully support your campaign to oppose driver-only operation on Northern and cuts to station staff and rail ticket offices. That’s because Labour want what passengers and rail workers want.”

But while that may be Jeremy’s view, it’s certainly not the view of Labour councillors, who through a shadowy body they set up, Rail North, actually co-sponsored the government’s proposals.