Watch: Supporting our rail workers’ right to strike
This week in Parliament the Government held a debate on the forthcoming industrial action announced by the RMT.
I spoke in the debate on Wednesday and told the House of Commons:
“The strikes are an absolute last resort and the RMT have been talking to employers and Government ministers for almost two years to find a resolution.
A key part of the dispute is that employers won’t withdraw the threat of thousands of compulsory redundancies – pushing many rail workers into poverty in the middle of the worst cost-of-living crisis many of us have ever known.
For passengers, this will mean increased risks on safety critical infrastructure, less staff on stations and trains - including the removal of guards and catering staff - cuts to cleaning and the closure of nearly all ticket offices.
This is not modernisation; it is the managed decline of our railways where cuts will worsen services for passengers and make the railway less safe and accessible.
Trade unions are a force for good, unlike the party opposite who are responsible for the worst living standards in living memory and continue to let millions shiver and starve in their homes because of the political choices they make. I know which side I stand on and who I believe looks after the best interests of the people in this country.”