Norfolk for Nationalisation of Rail Bringing the Railways Back to the Community Newsletter No
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NOR4NOR Norfolk for Nationalisation of Rail Bringing the railways back to the community Newsletter No. 1 Summer 2017, FREE RAIL ACTION SPREADS THE RAILWAYS are at a Several other rail companies crossroads in 2017. The have also been trying to STRIKES, PROTESTS, LOBBIES get rid of guards: Abellio last year has witnessed Scotrail, Arriva North Rail the most widespread and Merseyrail, because it rail campaigning in over & MEETINGS IN EAST ANGLIA, saves them money- some three decades. £350 million. Both the rail trade unions At the moment only and passenger groups have IN THE NORTH, IN SCOTLAND, around 30% of rail services organised hundreds of are D.O.O but all the rail protests across Britain in companies will try to follow an unprecedented fight for IN THE SOUTH, IN LONDON, suit. This is one reason why public ownership to replace the current widespread the chaotic private rail dispute over the retention franchises and to prevent AND AT OVER A HUNDRED of guards is so important: the rail privateers from the fight to have safety imposing cuts in staffing critical staff on board trains levels. Rail union members STATIONS ACROSS BRITAIN is part of the fight for public have gone on strike in ownership. If we want a defence of safety and publicly-owned system it passengers have joined in for their shareholders. must be fully staffed. We their thousands to condemn This is why the Whitehall have to build the case that the rail rip-off. transport chief Peter new trains do not mean There is a deep crisis at Wilkinson called for ‘punch- that thousands of jobs must the heart of the railways. ups’ with the unions and be lost. The rail privateers and their arrogantly declared that But it’s not just guards ideological allies, including the unions should ‘get whose jobs are under companies like Virgin, Serco, out of my industry’. There threat. Ticket office staff on Abellio, Govia, and Arriva, is always the threat that stations are threatened with think that the current form governments will take away having their jobs replaced of privatisation has not their franchises if they fail by machines. This is despite been thoroughgoing enough to perform as happened the fact that passenger because it has failed to bring on East Coast Main line. groups have repeatedly said the destruction of trade Network Rail remains in that people want face-to- union power in the industry, public ownership. face contacts for advice and and has ensured continuous Now the Department for buying tickets. government interference. Transport is attempting It’s time to turn the No matter how hard they to reduce government tables on the privateers. try, the privateers have subsidies. For two years, Throughout Britain we largely failed to slash pay Southern Rail/ GTR services need public campaigning rates, worsen working have been in chaos, a in support of the alternative conditions, sack staff or situation worsened by to a profit-led rail system exclude the unions from the attempt by Southern and to provide the rail collective bargaining. to remove guards and to unions with the backing that They have therefore been introduce Driver-only their members need in the unable to increase profits operation of trains (D.O.O). current disputes. n STOP PRESS Network Rail plans to axe 1,000 safety-critical rail renewal jobs page 2 Bringing the railways back to the community NOR4NOR AN INSIDER’s VIEW: SAYS All Aboard HERE ARE SIGNS that a national movement around public the Gravy Train Ttransport is emerging in Britain that could draw on a whole range of local groups, unions and individuals. There is certainly more scope for such a movement than at any time in the past thirty years when privatisation was carried out. NOR4NOR was set up in 2016 in response to growing discontent with passenger services in East Anglia. It brings together passengers, transport union members and local labour movement activists who believe that there is an alternative to the rail privateers. NOR4NOR supporters have been at Norwich station throughout 2016 ensuring that Greater Anglia (formerly Abellio Greater Anglia) is held to account, that rail improvement of real benefit can be achieved and to encourage a debate about HELLO READERS. By way of diesel-electric locomotives on taxpayers and let slippery Eels like what future public ownership might be brief introduction, I’m an this train are the newest in the Peter Wilkinson, part owner of like: modelled on the old British Rail, country, called Class 68s. But these ROSCO Angel Trains make a mint employee on the railways, it’s publicly-owned regional rail companies or weren’t built in Britain, don’t be overnight. my job to look after thousands daft! Successive governments Wilkinson just happens to be a employee-owned partnerships? of passengers every day, in a have successfully destroyed the Department of Transport director, entire world-leading research and pushing Govia and Southern Rail safety critical role. I’ve been development and manufacturing to provoke the RMT Union into in the industry a while, long wings of British Rail. So they strike action. Did anyone mention enough to get an interesting were ordered and built in Spain. corruption or conflicts of interest view from the inside. Here’s But they’re sort of owned by you at the heart of government!? Sorry, and me, because they are owned I digress...! So that’s one point the first insider story I’d like by Direct Rail Services (DRS), a to the greedy taxpayer shafting to share with you... government arms-length train venture capitalists! Hurrah! Every week day on the Norwich operating company (TOC) created And to finish it off, the Spanish branches to Lowestoft and because private companies can’t built, British-owned and Yarmouth, a train runs which is a be trusted to run high-risk Nuclear crewed locomotive, which pulls literal metaphor on wheels for the Flask trains to Sellafield processing the taxpayer-shafting owned failure of fragmented franchising plant. carriages, operated and crewed and it has us all in fits of laughter, So the DRS locomotives by the Dutch State Railways run because it’s better to laugh than (indirectly owned by us taxpayers) on Network Rail infrastructure. cry! Following an operating are also driven by DRS train Which is, following accounting incident, a three coach Class 170 drivers (sort of employed by us, rules changes in 2015, is now train, or ‘unit’ as we call them, was too). So that’s one point to Spain owned by us. One point to taken out of service. Greater Anglia and two to Britain! But the guard Britain! We didn’t know that the run such a bare bones franchise (at least we can be thankful we Conservative government was that they had no spare unit still have them!) is employed by into Nationalisation, but I think available to supplement the gaps Greater Anglia, a subsiduary of neither did they! that the non-availability of this Nederlandse Spoorwegen, the What’s the score and who wins NOR4NOR supporters at Norwich station on 18th October 2016 train being taken out of service Dutch state operator. And they’re at the end? It’s not you or me, (Photo: Geraldine Scott) created. So they replicated what the ones ultimately responsible or anyone else who needs the was already being done to plug a for the train, too. Two points to passenger railway to provide a Contact NOR4NOR: shortage of trains on the Lowestoft the Netherlands! The coaches, public service! Unless you’re a and Yarmouth lines, where aged confusingly painted in 1980s Dutch taxpayer, Spanish train email: [email protected] and polluting Class 37 locomotives British Rail ‘Blue and Grey’ colours builder or a Hedge Fund manager from the 1960s, which pull 1970s are owned by a private charter with investments in a ROSCO, phone: 07946 284089 ‘Mk.2’ coaches run ‘top and tailed’, operator Rivera Trains. So that’s a you’re getting shafted. write: 15 Wellington Road, with a locomotive on each end of point to Britain! The solution? Immediate, three coaches. The only good thing Well, only sort of. Because progressive-politics inspired Norwich, NR2 3HT is that at least the seats line up those coaches, just like a lot of nationalisation is required right NOR4NOR with the windows in the carriages! the rolling stock in the 1990s now, with the UK Rail network This second train could have been privatisations, found their way run under a partnership model NOR4NOR is supported by: avoided, considering Greater into ‘Rolling Stock Operating which puts all employees at the Anglia gave away several units to Companies’ (ROSCOs), which heart of the system and prevents Clive Lewis MP Norwich South, other operators at the start of their was one of the biggest unreported future governments, the Treasury Norwich Green party, Norwich RMT, GMB N24, original franchise, so it’s a bit of an financial scandals of the 1990s. and corporate greed screwing the Norwich Trades Council, BBBR, Norfolk Unite own goal. Just like the public flotation of whole thing for another twenty Community, TSSA, CATP and We Own It. But take a few steps back, Royal Mail, this stole millions years. and it really beggars belief. The from you and me and all other All aboard the gravy train! Bringing the railways back to the community page 3 FROM BAD TO WORSE! Protest at Liverpool St station on 16th August 20 MOMENTUM DISABLED CAUCUS AND CATP THE GUARD is there for everyone’s 35 different safety-crucial competencies. Go basis that non-Disabled travellers trains discriminated against Deaf and The government is encouraging the enjoy.