RAIL unions ASLEF, RMT and TSSA have launched a Judicial Review to challenge the government over plans to re-privatise the East Coast railway.
The unions called yesterday for the line to be ‘taken over by Directly Operated Railways’ – in other words remain under public ownership.
Bill Rogers, Chair of Chingford ASLEF branch, told News Line: ‘The East Coast Line is a directly Operated Railway. It is operated by the government, a nationalised railway.
‘They made £600 million profit and that was returned to the taxpayer, re-invested in services. If they privatise it again that £600 million will go straight into the pockets of the private shareholders. None of the railways should have been privatised in the first place.
‘All those dividends handed out to the shareholders has been at the taxpayers’ expense, meanwhile we have lost so many jobs. I welcome this judicial review of the East Coast railways.
‘The unions must organise national action including strike action to re-nationalise the entire national railway system. I call on all workers and trade unionists to attend the All Trade Union Alliance conference on the 10th May to build a revolutionary leadership in the unions.’
On the Joint judicial review, the RMT said: ‘The unions have agreed a united approach because they believe that their members’ jobs and conditions, as well as the interests of passengers and taxpayers, are threatened by the government’s failure to adequately consult over the future of East Coast.’
The RMT added: ‘The unions are also challenging the decision of the government to make a direct award to First Capital Connect of an extended franchise agreement for the Thameslink and Great Northern franchise without any tendering process or consideration by the government of whether the interests of their members and passengers would be better served by the service being taken over by Directly Operated Railways.’
ASLEF General Secretary Mick Whelan said: ‘It is imperative that we raise the genuine concerns of all stakeholders but, especially, the employees before this is rushed through. We cannot, in good conscience, allow the mistakes of the past to happen again.’
RMT Acting General Secretary Mick Cash said: ‘After the scandal of this government robbing the British taxpayer of a billion pounds in the scramble to privatise the Post Office it is shocking that they are engaging in the same tactics to try and hand the East Coast Mainline back to their friends in big business.
‘The British public have a right to openness and transparency when it comes to the ideologically-driven attempt to sell off Britain’s most successful rail-route to the speculators and chancers after two previous private sector failures on the same line.’
TSSA General Secretary Manuel Cortes said: ‘The Tory-led coalition knows only too well that rail franchising is not fit for purpose. They continue to ignore the recommendations of the Brown review which they commissioned following the West Coast debacle.
‘Rail workers are at a loss to understand why the government insists on going forward with a broken system which threatens the interests of passengers and taxpayers. We can only conclude that the ideology which saw Royal Mail flogged off on the cheap continues to thrive.’
