RMT handed dossier of rail safety failures to MP’s as unions lobby Parliament

RAIL UNION RMT handed a dossier of safety failures and maintenance cuts to MP's as rail workers lobby parliament this lunchtime in protest at plans by Network Rail to axe a further 1500 safety-critical jobs.

Hundreds of rail workers have contacted a confidential RMT email line to say lives could be put at risk. The dossier highlights the worst examples of where the scaling back of work and changing standards in preparation for the job cuts are already leading to a serious deterioration in safety.

These first-hand accounts make for extremely disturbing reading. Examples include: -

· Reduced track safety inspections

· Delaying the repair of faulty level crossings

· Reduced safety checks on railway signals

At 12.30pm today (27^th January) rail workers from across the UK will be outside Parliament sending out the clear message that "Rail Cuts Cost Lives" and calling on MP's and the Government to demand that Network Rail call a halt to the maintenance job cuts plans.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:

"We are sending a clear message to MP's that the rail maintenance job cuts are a lethal gamble, creating the perfect conditions for another Hatfield, Potters Bar or Grayrigg railway tragedy.

"The jobs to be axed are of those workers responsible for inspecting and repairing the track, signals, level crossings and overhead lines. They work 365 days a year, day and night in all conditions to keep the railway safe. Now they are going to be sacked as part of a so-called "efficiency" drive and we are calling on MP's of all parties to join us in a campaign to stop these fatally flawed cuts from being bulldozed through."

Gerry Doherty, leader of the TSSA rail union, said:

"It seems unbelievable that we are pressing a Labour Government on railway safety more than eight years after the Potters Bar tragedy.

"We need to put safety first and that means making sure maintenance work-and maintenance jobs - are a number one priority, whatever the pressures on the public purse. Lord Adonis must tell Network Rail to cancel these job cuts."

TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O'Grady said:

"Network Rail needs to listen to its workforce who work hard to keep up rigorous inspections on the UK's railway network and who know that safety could be compromised if 1,500 maintenance workers are made redundant.

"While senior executives at Network Rail are paying themselves huge bonuses, they seem quite happy to cut crucial jobs on the railway, potentially risking the safety of passengers and other railway employees. Transport Minister Lord Adonis must step in to persuade Network Rail from putting large numbers of its highly skilled, productive workers onto the dole before the UK is barely out of recession."