RMT protest outside Transport for the North board meeting at the treatment of outsourced workers

RMT activists are gathering in Leeds this morning (Monday 16th March) at 11:45am outside the meeting of Transport for the North’s Board at the Queen’s Hotel in Leeds, New Station Street City Square, Leeds LS1 1PJ.

Even though Northern Trains will soon become part of a publicly owned Great British Railways, too many rail workers are being left out of Great British Railways because they are outsourced to private companies.

Northern Trains currently outsources station staff, cleaners and security guards to companies like Carlisle and ISS. Carlisle, which is owned by the Tory peer Lord Ashcroft, is typical of the worst of outsourcing firms in its treatment of staff.

RMT members employed by Carlisle Support Services on the Northern revenue protection and gateline contract took 48-hour strike action in October in response to a culture of bullying and harassment by management.

Now they are demanding they be taken in-house by the government owned operator as part of the wider rollout of Great British Railways (GBR) to put an end to all outsourcing on the rail network once and for all.

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that outsourcing companies cut costs to boost profits, resulting in inferior pay and conditions for staff and a worse service for passengers.

RMT members at Carlisle on Northern Trains are currently in a bitter dispute with their employer over their employer’s refusal to negotiate pay. Instead, Carlisle chooses to impose the minimum possible pay rates it can get away with and blame Northern Trains instead. Our members have been forced to take industrial action in the form of strikes and refusing to scan tickets to try to get a negotiated pay rise.

RMT has launched a petition to Northern Trains, here. An Early Day Motion has been tabled in Parliament tabled by Rebecca Long-Bailey MP calling on Northern Trains to resolve the dispute and insource Carlisle’s workers.