Train union’s £600,000 to fund strike that ‘destroys Christmas’
TRAIN union leaders have been attacked for preparing a £600,000 war chest to support the biggest strike in British railway history.
Tens of thousands of commuters are braced for 27 days of Christmas chaos on South Western Railway after talks with RMT, the guards union, broke down on Thursday.
Politicians attacked the fund as “unfair” and branded the industrial action as an attempt to “destroy Christmas travel plans” and “disrupt businesses during one of their busiest periods of the year”.
The strike is set to run for 27 days starting on Dec 2, with breaks for the general election, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. South Western carries 235 million passengers a year and operates
almost 1,700 services every day, running services into Britain’s busiest train station, London Waterloo.
The Sunday Telegraph understands that striking guards are each in line for payments of £1,600 for not working during the industrial action. With 796 registered RMT members on South Western and roughly half expected to walk out, the union is facing a bill of more than £600,000.
The RMT has almost £1million in the bank, according to its most recent financial report, meaning it is unlikely to raid its £18.2million investment portfolio.
South Western Railway is the latest to do battle with the RMT over the role of train guards. Customers of Southern, Thameslink and Northern services are among those to suffer from crippling walkouts in recent years.
Labour has pledged in its manifesto to have a guard on every train.
Kevin Hollinrake, standing in the Thirsk and Malton constituency, said: “The war chest is really unfair. You’ve always got to put the commuter first and this is clearly not doing that.”
Nigel Evans, candidate for Ribble Valley in Lancashire, said: “The devastating strike will destroy Christmas travel plans, disrupt businesses during one of their busiest periods and destroy their productivity and profitability.”
Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, said he understands the “anguish and misery” of being delayed by late or cancelled trains.
An RMT spokesman said: “No decision has yet been made on hardship payments from the dispute fund and any such decision will be made on a case-by-case basis.”
A South Western spokesman said: “All we’re asking is that guards work with us to provide the modern, efficient train service customers need and want by bringing in new trains, which could mean over 10 million more passenger journeys arrive on time in peak hours every year.”
Mick Cash, RMT general secretary, said: “RMT members are once again standing solid, determined and united … as we fight to put the safety-critical role of the guard at the top of the agenda.
“The safety and accessibility of the public is this union’s priority and should take priority over the profits of the train operator.”