Many folk wrote in about the RMT Rail Strike and I was pro active in supporting the strikers for I consider railway workers to be among our the millions of “unsung heroes” around the country; keyworkers who are so often overlooked.
It was clear to me that once the railways were privatised, we were going to see the rail companies start to squeeze the people who keep the railways going, the very people who were described as key workers by the Prime Minister during the Pandemic.
The priority for the rail companies is to increase company profits and the dividends to shareholders and the stock price itself.
I have always advocated that the railways, as a natural monopoly, should be re-nationalised, and I’ve maintained this ever since they were privatised, and there is a great deal of public support for this move.
It is quite true that these companies keep on making huge profits, spending some of this on big pay packets for senior executives and bonuses. Yet they say there is no money to pay the workers a fair wage for a fair day’s work, nor ensure they can retire with dignity; whilst raising rail fares and dragging their feet in updating rolling stock.
I fully support the RMT and their actions and am in complete solidarity with the hard-working railway workers striking up and down the country when it is necessary. We cannot let the profits of the rich continue to grow at the expense of workers’ jobs, wages, conditions, pensions, and safety.
I was elected on a manifesto that committed to policies that would boost the incomes, job security and living standards of working people in the public and private sector. I stand by those commitments and will continue to campaign to see them implemented wherever possible.
