RMT members in Eastbourne have maintained their fight for jobs and safety, against plans by failing rail operating company GoVia to remove properly trained conductors from local services. Many local trade unionists and others, including the Eastbourne People's Assembly took solidarity greetings to Eastbourne RMT members on the picket lines.
RMT General Secretary, Mick Cash, took the fight to the TUC Congress in Brighton earlier this month with a scathing attack on the company and its cheerleaders in Parliament. In a scathing attack on Govia Thameslink, and their cheerleaders in Government, he said:
"We are facing the most concerted attack on rail workers and passengers in living memory. The government and train operators have declared war on the rail unions and they don’t give a damn if passengers are collateral damage "How else can we explain the scandal that is GTR southern, the worse performing train company in the country? "Rammed out, late, expensive and so unpopular that passenger protests in Tory shires are a regular event. So toxic that even Tory MPs have called for the service to be nationalised. So corrupt that Southern were given the green light by Government to tear up the franchise agreement and create chaos by cancelling 350 trains a day.
"So rotten that instead of taking responsibility they have taken out adverts in newspapers attacking their own staff and telling lies about staff sickness, So despicable that even the rail minister resigned in shame."
Cash launched an attack on the Government announcing a £20 million taxpayer bail-out of the Southern operation just 24 hours before the parent company confirmed profits of £100 million.
"We don’t want politicians playing politics with our bus and rail industry. We don’t what half measures. We want a national, integrated transport system and we want all our buses and railway under public ownership."
RMT are proudly affiliated to the Eastbourne Trades Council. Come along to the next meeting for updates on the campaign.
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