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Workers at the scene of a derailed diesel-carrying train near Llangennech, Carmarthenshire in August 2020
RAIL infrastructure workers moved onto a “national dispute” footing today in response to a threat of thousands of job and safety cuts at Network Rail.
The RMT union, which has 20,000 members in track maintenance and signalling, reacted angrily to plans revealed by the state-owned company that include a shocking 50 per cent reduction in safety-critical maintenance.
RMT described the plans as a return to the “disastrous days of Railtrack,” when cost-led corner-cutting by the then privatised company led to the Hatfield crash of 2000 in which four people died and 70 were injured.
A just transition to Great British Railways and a clean and safe railway for all is not only desirable but also necessary. MARYAM ESLAMDOUST explains
But unions warn renationalisation must not be fudged
