Britain's biggest rail union, RMT, will be holding a press conference this Wednesday (13 May) at RMT Head Office to unveil the launch of a new political campaign aimed at securing the renationalisation of the crisis-torn East Coast line which is currently run under a franchise arrangement by debt-ridden National Express.
In the past week it has been reported that National Express has been in talks with the government on bailing out of their £1.4 billion franchise arrangement on the East Coast in favour of a copper-bottomed, management fee guarantee which RMT have described as a "massive financial reward for total failure."
The East Coast line, which links London with Edinburgh via York and Leeds, carries 17 million passengers a year and employs 3,100 staff. It is Britain's most lucrative train franchise.
Through their parliamentary convenor, John McDonnell MP, RMT are bringing together a coalition of MP's with seats along the East Coast line to apply political pressure on the government for an orderly return to public ownership and control of the service. Newcastle Central MP Jim Cousins will be tabling an Early Day Motion to that affect on Wednesday.
Bob Crow, RMT general secretary, said :
"The chaos facing the rail industry from the looming collapse of major franchises is unprecedented and we are calling on the government to step in now and begin the process of renationalisation to restore order to the railways. At our press conference we will be setting out our plans to pursue that objective for the East Coast line as part of our wider campaign for a publicly-owned People's Railway.
"It would be political suicide for the government to bail out National Express and offer them a copper-bottomed management fee guarantee in return for ripping up the East Coast franchise. That would be reward for complete and abject failure on an epic scale and the British taxpayers would be up in arms," Bob Crow said.
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