Public now opposed to private rail says union

THE TIDE in favour of public ownership of the railways has turned “irreversibly” and it is only a matter of time before privatisation is “swept away”, according to a union leader. In a May Day message, Mick Cash, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, paid tribute to the guards who have been taking industrial action over the past two years in the bitter disputes over staffing on trains. He said: “There is no doubt whatsoever that public opinion has now shifted irreversibly in favour of the core objectives mapped out by the trade unions and with this rotten, dysfunctional Tory Government lurching from crisis to crisis it is no longer a matter of if our railways are brought back into public ownership, it is a matter of when. “The private train companies seeking to throw the guards off our railways should wise up and take notice and those in the maritime sector bending the rules to maintain a system of low pay on the ships of shame should also start to face up to some realities. “We will not rest until the discredited transport, workplace and economic policies that have caused so much damage to this country are consigned to the dustbin of history.” RMT members are set to launch a series of one-day strikes throughout this month in the dispute over the role of guards. Members on all three franchises will strike for 24 hours on Wednesday, May 9. In addition, members on South Western Railway will also strike for 24 hours on May, 11, 14, 16 and 18.