Southern Rail strike: Fraction of profits ‘hoarded’ by company could end dispute, RMT union boss says
RMT stages 48-hour strike, causing travel chaos for hundreds of thousands of passengers
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Your support makes all the difference.A fraction of the £100m profits "hoarded" by Southern Railway could end travel chaos resulting from a 48-hour strike, a union boss has said.
The company which jointly operates the Southern Rail franchise has been heavily criticised after posting profits of £100m just one day after the Government handed Southern a £20m "bailout" package.
"Just a fraction of the £100 million in cash hoarded by this outfit could keep the guards on the trains, keep the trains safe and resolve this dispute," Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union general secretary Mick Cash said.
Members of the RMT union have walked out for 48 hours in a long-running dispute over the role of conductors.
More than two in every five trains will be cancelled and there will be no service on some routes. Many trains will start late and finish early.
Picket lines were mounted outside busy stations, including London Victoria and Brighton, and disability campaigners joined them to show support for the RMT's campaign.
Southern Rail has said it plans to run 60 per cent of its services during the industrial action.
Mr Cash added: "Reports from all locations this morning confirm that the strike action is rock-solid and determined again across the Southern Rail network as we fight to put rail safety and access before the profits of the failed Govia Thameslink operation.
"This action has been forced on us by the arrogance and inaction of Govia Thameslink and the Government, who have made it clear that they have no interest in resolving this dispute or in tackling the daily chaos on Southern.
"We will be joined by disability campaigners on the picket lines this morning as we expose the fact that axing staff from Southern services will deny members of the public their legal right to travel under the Equality Act. It is scandalous that GTR have chosen to ignore that issue.
"RMT's fight is with the company and the Government, who have dragged this franchise into total meltdown. We share the anger and frustration of passengers and we cannot sit back while jobs and safety are compromised on these dangerously overcrowded trains."
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