RMT digs in for long battle [print version]
The rail disputes are now nearly six months old, and railway workers and their unions – led by RMT – are now resigned to a long-drawn-out campaign...
Rail
Rail
RMT prepares for long battle
23 October 2022
The rail disputes are now nearly six months old, and railway workers and their unions – led by RMT – are now resigned to a long-drawn-out campaign as they fight for the future of their jobs and their industry.
Strikes erupt on the railways as inflation rockets
12 June 2022
RMT has announced strikes in Network Rail and most of the passenger train companies which will effectively close the national rail network for a week in June.
Scotrail shambles condemned
Train drivers’ union Aslef has condemned the decision by newly nationalised ScotRail to severely cut services.
Massive vote for action on railways
25 May 2022
RMT members have voted overwhelmingly for strike action on pay, jobs and safety.
Oppose the government attack on rail unions
24 May 2022
The government plans laws to make rail strikes illegal unless minimum staff levels are maintained. This aims to make industrial action ineffective – and will not stop with rail workers.
The Elizabeth Line: a British working class achievement [updated]
23 May 2022
The opening of the Elizabeth Line this week is a great achievement, to be celebrated despite delays.
The future of the rail industry
The future of the rail industry
Tuesday 7 June 2022 19:00
The government is driving an agenda of service cuts even as passenger numbers recover from the Covid-19 slump. How will rail workers and rail users defend services?
For an invitation, email info@cpbml.org.uk.
British steel betrayed by government
Transport minister Andrew Stephenson has admitted that HS2, Europe’s largest construction project and funded by public money, has no target for the use of British steel.
In the balance - progress or decline for rail?
Investment in rail could make life better in Britain as well as help the country meet its carbon emission targets. But the government seems obsessed with taking on the rail unions and driving down pay and conditions for staff…
HS2 – The Great Northern Train Robbery
24 November 2021
Boris Johnson’s decision to scrap vital parts of HS2 and other key rail investment in the north of England met with angry criticism from trade unions and many others.
Just six months left to save ScotRail, say unions
23 September 2021
Four trade unions came together on 22 September to demonstrate in Edinburgh on Wednesday. Their message: that there are just six months left to save ScotRail.
ScotRail: SNP bluster
11 September 2021
The rail union RMT is defending rail services and attacks on its members in Scotland from the train operating company and the hostile SNP government.
Battle ahead for the future of Britain's rail system
Never waste the opportunity of a good crisis. So runs the capitalist mantra. Now the government and private operators have seized on the pandemic as an ideal time to cut down on costs and boost profits. A huge battle beckons…
ScotRail services face axe [print version]
Not to be outdone by the headlong rush across Britain to cut back rail services, Scotland has joined the fray announcing proposals to permanently slash its train services
Long-running pay fight engulfs ScotRail
21 August 2021
Scotland is currently hosting the longest pay dispute on the railways so far, with ScotRail guards striking every Sunday since 28 March.
ScotRail plans new wave of cuts
21 August 2021
Not to be outdone by the headlong rush across Britain to cut back rail services, Scotland has joined the fray announcing proposals to permanently slash its train services.
Rail: at heart, no change [print version]
The Williams–Shapps Plan for Rail – a government White Paper – has finally been published. And like too many of Britain’s trains, it arrived very late and was truly underwhelming.
Scotland: Abellio fight continues
Further strikes have been taking place in the long-running dispute between ticket examiners and conductors in Scotland and their employer, Abellio Scotrail.
Rail: underneath the changes, fundamentally the same
21 May 2021
The Williams–Shapps Plan for Rail – a government White Paper – has finally been published. And like too many of Britain’s trains, it arrived very late and was truly underwhelming.
Full backing for rail strikes
Four separate days of strike action have been solidly supported by RMT members who work as conductors and ticket examiners for ScotRail...
Eurostar: Unions campaign
Rail unions RMT and Aslef are calling on the government to provide urgent support for Eurostar after the company said it was on the brink of bankruptcy.
Slashed investment threatens switch to rail freight
29 December 2020
The rail freight sector’s slow recovery during the summer from the impact of Covid-19 has prompted calls for a national programme of investment in freight infrastructure.
Facing up to Britain’s logistics challenge
The overwhelming reliance on road transport to keep the country functioning is a growing problem – for health, for the environment, and not least for passenger transport…
HS2: Two projects in one
1 December 2020
So much of the coverage of the HS2 project has focused on passenger journey times that the true scope of the project has almost been obscured from public view.
What future for Britain’s railways?
With nationalisation the only sensible option for rail, the government is moving swiftly to avoid doing it. Instead, it is looking to turn the industry upside down, with huge implications for jobs, pay, conditions and services…
Jobs, training as HS2 gears up
The building of HS2 is finally moving from preparatory work to full-scale construction works...
RMT takes second round of action in sleeper dispute
6 October 2020
RMT union members brought Serco Caledonian Sleeper services to a halt on Sunday, affecting journeys linking cities in Scotland with London and the south.
Rail campaign marks 25 years of success
30 September 2020
Local railway campaigners in Bristol have been celebrating a quarter-century of struggle with an innovative socially distanced event culminating at Severn Beach.