National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers (RMT)

The Guardian: November 30, 2006
Dan Milmo, transport correspondent

· Leasing firms blamed for piling costs on passengers
· Investigation may delay west coast improvements

Millions of rail passengers may face an increase in overcrowded services after the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) yesterday said it planned to ask for an investigation into the market for leasing engines and carriages to train operators.

The train leasing companies warned that the proposed investigation by the Competition Commission could force them to stop investment in new vehicles, leaving a shortage of carriages to accommodate a 30% increase in passengers over the next decade.

Article continues
The Department for Transport, which reported the leasing companies to the ORR, accused the businesses of piling costs on to passengers by making profits of £175m last year.

The ORR said the £1bn-a-year cost of renting trains was contributing to fare rises. Passenger groups warned this week that fares were becoming increasing poor value for money after above-inflation price rises were announced for the fourth successive year. The cost of season tickets will rise by 4.3% next year, while unregulated fares such as long-distance tickets will increase by an average of 4.7%.

"Passenger train operators spend around £1bn every year on leasing," said Chris Bolt, chairman of the ORR. "We suspect there are features of these markets which are preventing them from operating competitively."

One of the most high-profile victims of an investigation could be the west coast main line, which is nearing the end of an £8bn upgrade but is expected to run out of capacity by 2015. Angel Trains, the supplier of Virgin's distinctive Pendolino carriages, is close to signing a deal with Virgin to build 106 carriages but that could be put on hold, threatening plans to increase services on the line by 40% in 2008.

The Royal Bank of Scotland, owner of Angel Trains, said an investigation could make overcrowding worse. "A sustained period of uncertainty is likely to curtail essential investment," it said.

The ORR will hold talks with the train leasing companies before deciding on a referral. Mr Bolt also criticised specifications written into franchise agreements by the government. A new franchise often had to re-lease the trains that were previously used within the franchise, giving the leasing companies the leverage to raise prices.

The Department for Transport said it would consider changing franchise contracts but demanded that leasing companies slash their prices: "The government believes this money would be better invested in the network to deliver further improvements for the travelling public.

"The ORR has questioned whether changes to the franchise process would help. We will be happy to explore this further during the consultation but find it difficult to see how it will have a significant impact on the current market."

See also:

Michael Harrison's Outlook: Transport ministers must take the blame for Britain's great rolling stock rip-off

The Independent: 30 November 2006

Physician, heal thyself. Or, to use a more modern idiom: Department for Transport, analyse this. In June, the department packed the country's three train leasing companies off to the Rail Regulator Chris Bolt and instructed him to establish whether they were making excessive profits. Five months later, his Office of Rail Regulation has come back with its findings, all 138 pages of them. Its report concludes that the three rolling stock companies, or Roscos, are indeed making too much money and is minded to refer them to the Competition Commission. But here's the rub. The culprit in all this is the Department for Transport itself. The main reason for the lack of competition in the rolling stock market and hence the excess profits is the way the department has drawn up the passenger rail franchises. These are very prescriptive and often stipulate which rolling stock a train operator must use. In other cases, they have no option but to use particular trains because of the type of track. In other instances, even when alternative rolling stock is available, it is owned by the same Rosco.

In its response to the ORR, the department has pretty much ignored all this and gone for the jugular, arguing that at the top end of the scale the excess profits being made by the three companies is £175m a year or £2bn over the lifetime of the leases. Put another way, that is an extra 8 per cent on a typical season ticket.

The three Roscos all happen to be owned by very large banks - HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland and Banco Santander - which makes them convenient whipping boys for politicians. But to argue that they are making £175m more a year than they deserve to when their total reported profits are only £165m seems absurd.

The department says that this is like comparing apples and pears because the £165m profit recorded by the Roscos is only after they have made interest payments of a similar amount back to their parent banks on the debt provided to finance their operations. Like dividends on equity, some of this represents extra profit.

The ORR now intends to consult for three months before deciding whether to make a reference to the Competition Commission. If it does, then the industry is in for a further investigation lasting up to two years.

Faced with such uncertainty, it seems inconceivable that the Roscos would make any investment in new trains during this time. That is not what passengers want to hear. Only a fortnight ago, the National Audit Office warned of a capacity crisis on the West Coast Mainline if more Pendolinos were not ordered soon.

But a two-year hiatus in rolling stock orders may be precisely what a cash-strapped Department for Transport wants to hear because new trains carry a political price in the shape of higher fares or bigger government subsidies. Or is that being too cynical? Surely not.

See also:

Government largely to blame for excess train leasing profits

The Times: November 30, 2006
Ben Webster, Transport Correspondent

# Problems lie with charge for carriages
# Banks say inquiry would stall progress

Flaws in the Government’s rail franchising process are primarily to blame for excessive profits made by train leasing companies, the rail regulator said yesterday.

Chris Bolt said that he was minded to refer the companies — Porterbrook, owned by Abbey; Angel, owned by Royal Bank of Scotland; and HSBC Rail — to the Competition Commission for further investigation.

The Department for Transport, which asked Mr Bolt to investigate the companies, estimates that together they earn up to £175 million more per year than would be expected in a properly competitive market.

Mr Bolt found that the market for new trains, purchased since privatisation a decade ago, was “relatively competitive”. The main problem lay with the 9,000 carriages built by British Rail. In some cases, the construction cost has been repaid several times over, but the banks continue to charge train companies more than £1,000 a week per carriage.

The department welcomed Mr Bolt’s decision, saying that the excess profit was the “equivalent of an annual 8 per cent increase on all season tickets and amounts to around £2 billion over the lifetime of the train leases in question”.

Mr Bolt said that train companies had “extremely limited” choice over rolling stock when negotiating franchises. In many cases they were contractually bound to take on leases agreed by the previous incumbent. The Department for Transport also set tight specifications that could be met only by leasing a particular type of train.

The rapid growth in demand for rail services also meant that there was a very small pool of spare trains, with only 6 per cent of the national fleet in storage at present.

The regulator’s report said that possible remedies included a “major rethink of the franchising model, allowing train companies to take their commercial decisions for new rolling stock based purely on their own assessment of future revenue needs and the needs of the passenger”.

Mr Bolt said that franchises could also be lengthened to give train companies enough incentive to order new trains. Groups of franchises could be let at the same time to make it easier to switch trains from one company to another. He said that other options, such as imposing price controls or requiring the banks to sell some of their trains, would be difficult to implement and might not achieve value for money.

Mr Bolt will consult until the end of February and make a final decision on a Competition Commission inquiry by the end of April.

RBS said that there was no case for further investigation, adding: “If, as the report indicates, it is the DfT’s own franchising policy which is principally responsible for the matters about which it has complained, the DfT has the remedy for this in its own hands.”

RBS also issued a thinly veiled threat that it would not purchase any more trains if there was a full competition inquiry, which could take up to two years. This would undermine Virgin’s plans to order 100 new carriages from Angel to lengthen its overcrowded tilting trains on the West Coast Main Line.

RBS said: “A sustained period of uncertainty is likely to curtail essential investment in additional capacity to solve the evident overcrowding problem in Britain’s railways.”

Mr Bolt said that if the companies refused to buy new trains, it would be a sign that the market was not competitive. “If they were to withdraw from financing new rolling stock, that’s clearly a factor the Competition Commission would be looking at.”

Timetable
# 1994 Railtrack takes control of tracks

# 1995 franchises awarded

# 1996: Railtrack’s debut raises £1.9 billion

# 1997: Seven people die in Southall crash

# 1999: 31 die at Ladbroke Grove

# 2000: Four die at Hatfield

# 2002: Seven die at Potters Bar

# 2002: Railtrack replaced by Network Rail

# June 2006: DfT tells Office of Rail Regulation that train leasing prices are unfair. Requests referral to Competition Commission

# November 2006: Regulator announces three-month consultation over referral to Commission

Posted on 11:17 AM | Permalink

The Times: November 29, 2006
Ben Webster, Transport Correspondent

# Increases are above inflation for fourth year
# Passenger group says poor will shun railways

The railways are becoming the preserve of the rich, after train companies announced fare increases above the rate of inflation for the fourth year running, the national passenger watchdog said yesterday.

Passengers will pay up to 11 per cent more from January 2, with those unable to book in advance bearing the brunt of the increases. Most season tickets and off-peak tickets, prices for which are set by the Government, will rise by 4.3 per cent, 1 per cent above inflation.

Passenger Focus said that the Government was largely to blame because it set the overall strategy for the railways and was increasing payments for the right to operate franchises. Four companies have each agreed to pay more than £1 billion to the Department for Transport over the next ten years.

The total amount paid each year by passengers has doubled to £4.5 billion since privatisation a decade ago. Subsidy has also soared to record levels, with the taxpayer contributing more than £6 billion this year, four times what British Rail received.

Passengers in Kent will pay the highest increases, with season tickets rising by 6.3 per cent and standard day returns rising by up to 11.1 per cent.

First Great Western is raising fares for the second time in a year on services between London, the West Country and South Wales. After the 6 per cent increases First Great Western imposed in June, standard open returns will rise by another 6 per cent in January.

Virgin is increasing its standard open return from London to Manchester by 8.4 per cent, more than double the rate of inflation. This means passengers will be paying £50 an hour for the journey.

The standard open return is the only ticket available on the day for several hours when trains are busiest.

A recent Department for Transport study found that people on higher incomes were twice as likely to use trains. Only 40 per cent of those earning less than £13,500 made a train journey last year, compared with 77 per cent earning more than £31,200.

Anthony Smith, the chief executive of Passenger Focus, said: “The network is becoming a rich man’s railway. Many families can no longer afford to travel by train unless they are super-organised about booking tickets and have a railcard.”

He predicted that next year the train companies would place more restrictions on when saver tickets could be used. The price of savers is usually less than half the cost of a standard open return.

Passenger Focus also accused train companies of breaching their own rules by introducing the increases immediately, instead of using the old prices for journeys if they were booked before Christmas Eve.

The Association of Train Operating Companies said that fare increases were needed to pay for improvements such as the refurbishment of First Great Western’s 30-year-old 125mph trains, and for thousands of CCTV cameras.

Punctuality rose to 89.5 per cent in the six months to September 30, helped partly by lengthening published journey times by a few minutes.

Chris Grayling, the Shadow Transport Secretary, said: “We have inflation-busting fare increases at a time when trains are becoming more and more overcrowded, and absolutely nothing is being done to tackle the problem.”

London to Manchester: cost of a Virgin standard open return

1997: £108

Jan2, 2007: £219

See also:

New Year rail fares set to rocket

Press Association: November 28, 2006

Millions of rail passengers will face above-inflation fare rises in the new year, with some tickets going up more than 7%, it has been announced.

Regulated fares, comprising season tickets and saver fares, will rise 4.3% on average from January 2. Unregulated fares, which represent about 60% of total fares, will be going up by an average of 4.7%.

Unregulated fares on the both the Gatwick Express and the Heathrow Express will be rising an average of 7.3%, while unregulated fares on Virgin West Coast will be increasing by an average of 6.6%, the Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc) announced.

There will also be big rises for commuters on the Southeastern franchise, where a special agreement means an average rise in regulated fares of 6.3%. A cheap day return from London to Canterbury on Southeastern is rising 6% - from the current £18.40 to £19.50, while a standard day return on the same route is increasing 11.1% from £19.90 to £22.10.

Atoc director-general George Muir said: "While no-one likes to pay more for their travel, we need the revenue to pay for the ongoing improvements to the railways that passengers expect - and overall satisfaction levels are now at an all-time high of 80%.

"Train operators will continue to raise their game, delivering further improvements to the railway and enhancing the travel experience of passengers. Rail travel is proving very popular, with more passengers travelling this year. The challenge now is to get extra capacity on to the railway and route plans are under way to this end."

Brian Cooke, chairman of passenger group London TravelWatch, said: "While we accept fares have to rise sometimes, any price rise above inflation is regrettable and will seem a lot to passengers in and around London who are increasingly faced with crowded platforms and trains. Most train companies on the busy commuter lines in London are now paying the Government huge premiums, so are being forced to put up fares to a level that is extremely bad news for passengers, meaning effectively that many rail passengers in London are paying a stealth tax to the Government as part of their fare."

Anthony Smith, chief executive of independent consumer watchdog Passenger Focus, said: "If passengers want flexibility or have no choice about when to travel, they now face off-putting prices. Levels of crowding now mean there is no more room for manoeuvre - people are being priced off the railways just as the off-peak is also becoming crowded."

Shadow transport secretary Chris Grayling said: "This is very unwelcome news for passengers and will only underline the fact that things are really not right on our railways. We have inflation-busting fare increases at a time when trains are becoming more and more overcrowded and absolutely nothing is being done to tackle the problem."

Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Alistair Carmichael said: "Passengers will be exasperated by these fare increases, whilst levels of overcrowding on their trains continue to get worse. If the Government wants people to use public transport, then it is sending the wrong signal by increasing the price gap between rail and car travel."

Posted on 02:21 AM | Permalink

Bloomberg: Nov. 28
By Catherine Hickley

The architect of Berlin's new main train station won a lawsuit against Deutsche Bahn AG in a court decision that forces the German state-owned rail company to replace the building's ceiling with his original design.

Architect Meinhard von Gerkan sued Deutsche Bahn for distorting his plan by exchanging his ceiling, designed to resemble a cathedral's nave, for one made of flat metal designed by another architect. German copyright rules protect the integrity of work by artists and architects.

"We are very happy about this decision,'' said Juergen Hillmer, a partner in von Gerkan's firm, speaking by mobile phone from the main station. "It means this current ceiling will be torn down and replaced.''

The $840 million station, the biggest non-terminus rail hub in Europe, is located in the wasteland left behind after the fall of the Berlin Wall, meters away from Angela Merkel's Chancellery. Its completion, in time for the June start of the World Cup soccer tournament, capped 15 years of rebuilding to unite the separate infrastructures of east and west Berlin.

"The chamber is of the opinion that the flat ceiling seriously distorted the architectural design,'' the Berlin regional court said in a statement. Deutsche Bahn's one-sided decision to change the plan without consulting von Gerkan "is a breach of architects' rights as set out in the copyright law,'' the court said.

Massive Disruption

Deutsche Bahn said in an e-mailed statement that it will challenge the Berlin court's ruling. The station handles 300,000 passengers a day and 1,100 trains, and tearing the ceiling down would create a massive disruption of traffic, Norbert Giersdorff, a spokesman for the company, said in a telephone interview.

"Deutsche Bahn urged the architect in vain to reduce costs before the flat ceiling was built,'' the company statement said, vowing "further legal action.''

Von Gerkan previously described the dispute over the railway station as the bitterest of his 40-year career.

Before changing his ceiling design, Deutsche Bahn had forced him to slice 100 meters off a steel-and-glass roof overarching the tracks, making the station asymmetrical when viewed from a distance, rather than symmetrical as it was in von Gerkan's plan.

Posted on 01:33 AM | Permalink

International Transport Workers' Federation: 23 Nov 2006

Mansour Osanloo, the president of the Tehran bus workers' union who was released in August 2006 after 8 months in detention, was re-arrested on 19th November by Iranian security officials.
Protest against the re-arrest of Manour Osanloo by clicking on the link below.
Take Action: Send a Protest Letter

Osanloo was with two colleagues on his way to the Ministry of Labour in Tehran when he was approached by plain clothes security agents, who told him he was under arrest. When Osanloo asked for a warrant he was beaten, threated with a gun and forced into a car.

The ITF, the ITUC and others in the international trade union movement have written protesting against this latest arrest - see below. We are now asking ITF affiliates to send similar messages, using the link above. You can also do this by visiting the Labourstart website.

Iran: Free Mansour Osanloo now

Mansour Osanloo, the President of the Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (Sherkat-e Vahed) was arrested by plain clothes agents, who refused to show any identification or arrest warrants, on Sunday, November 19, 2006 while he, along with two other union board members, were on their way to the office of the Labour Ministry in Tehran East. The agents physically and verbally assaulted Osanloo and Ebrahim Madadi, the union's vice-president, and one of them pointed a gun at Mr. Madadi and fired a bullet in the air. The agents finally forced Mr. Osanloo into a waiting car and drove away.

Mansour Osanloo.

Osanloo, who had an eye operation last week and whose eye was bandaged at time of his arrest, was summoned to attend a court hearing on November 20, 2006. In December 2005, Mr. Osanloo was arrested following a job action by members of his union. He was released on 150 million Toman (about $US 165,000) bail after about 8 months in Tehran's Evin prison.

In addition, according to the latest news, Mahmoud Salehi, the former President of the Bakery Workers' Association of the city of Saqez and a co-founder of the Coordinating Committee to Form Worker's Organization, has been sentenced to 4 years imprisonment. Jalal Hosseini, a labour activist in the city of Saqez and an executive board member of the Coordinating Committee to Form Worker's Organization in the Western Iran, was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment. Borhan Divargar, another labour activists arrested on May Day 2004, was earlier sentenced to two years in prison. The initial arrests and the final charges against the above labour activists were made in connection with their attempts to participate in May Day 2004 celebration in Saqez.

Posted on 10:15 AM | Permalink

RMT: November 28 2006

SEA CONTAINERS should not be rewarded with public money for effectively defaulting on its GNER contract, Britain’s biggest rail union said today.

Sea Containers' diastrous tenure had destabilised a key part of Britain's railway network, and it should now be run in the public sector to safeguard jobs and rail services, RMT said.

"Our members will be shedding no crocodile tears over Sea Containers appearing to be on their way out, but they now deserve some guarantees that GNER's plans to slash staff across the franchise will not be allowed to proceed," RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.

"It makes no sense to allow Sea Containers to continue draining what amount to guaranteed, risk-free profits out of GNER on a management-fee contract when the franchise could be run more efficiently and for everyone's benefit in the public sector.

"The government was adamant that it would not renegotiate the GNER franchise, but that is what they have now done.

"How much better it would be simply to bring GNER operations back in-house and harnesss the revenue for the benefit of the whole industry.

"Refranchising will cost millions for the paperwork alone, and the end result will be another privateer given a licence to drain public money out of the railway industry.

"Other privateers looking at the GNER mess will be grinning up their sleeves in the knowledge that if they get into financial difficulties they too will be bailed out with public money and rewarded with a cushy cost-plus management contract.

"Three of the country's main intercity franchises are now being run on cost-plus contracts which just shovel public money into private bank accounts for no good reason, and makes a complete nonsense of the entire franchising policy," Bob Crow said.

Posted on 11:59 PM | Permalink

RMT: November 28 2006

ABOVE-INFLATION rail-fare increases announced today will drive more people off trains and into cars, Britain’s biggest rail union says today as the private train operators announced their latest round of price hikes.

"The government talks about the climate challenge and the importance of reducing carbon emissions, but allowing never-ending above-inflation rail fares rises will only result in more polluting road traffic," RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.

"It is only a six months since the Commons Transport Select Committee condemned the shambolic state of rail pricing structures and exposed the private sector's inability to operate the railways as a public service.

"Since then we have also had the stark warnings in the Stern report, but it seems it is to be 'big business as usual' for the private train operators.

"A fundamental shift in policy is needed that will use fares policy to encourage rail use and recognise that there needs to be substantial public investment in new rail capacity.

"Increasing capacity doesn't mean ripping out a few seats and removing passenger toilets to squeeze in a few more standing commuters.

"We need a fares and ticketing structure designed to encourage people out of their cars and onto trains and a joined-up transport policy capable of delivering extra capacity to cope with the extra demand.

"Britain's rail fares are already among the most expensive in Europe, and the privateers who run them are interested only in maximising profits from travellers.

"As long as they are allowed to continue in this vein the government will be unable to meet its commitment to reduce carbon emissions," Bob Crow said.

Posted on 11:56 PM | Permalink

JOIN THE PUBLIC PROTEST AGAINST 20% CUTS TO TRAIN SERVICES IN BRISTOL AND THE WEST
(organised by RMT Bristol Rail)

Friday, 8 December 2006
Meet: 3.30-4.00 pm
Brunel Shed Car Park, Bristol Temple Meads (next to Travel Centre)

Join:

Kerry McCarthy MP (Bristol East)
Pat Sikorski, Assistant General Secretary(RMT)
Nigel Costley, Secretary, South West TUC

Walk: 4.15-4.30pm
Walk with us to the Government Office for the South West,
to deliver our protest, or meet us there at 4.30pm (2, Rivergate, Temple Quay)

From 11 December 2006 First Great Western will cut train seats in Greater Bristol by 1,839 per day - 20%. Trains will be cut from 69 to 57 - over 18%.

Local trains are already at full capacity. Passengers complain of uncomfortable and alarming overcrowding, and rail staff have raised safety issues. Further cuts will force passengers onto congested roads, increasing pollution and road traffic accidents.

These drastic cuts will increase carbon emissions, flying in the face of the Stern Report. Government has already set challenging targets to cut carbon emissions - 20% by 2010 and 60% by 2050. Transport accounts for 25% of all UK carbon emissions - the vast majority produced by road transport. These cuts threaten environmentally friendly transport.

Train service cuts affecting Bristol and surrounding areas include:
• loss of early morning Cardiff-Bristol service;
• two-hour gaps at Oldfield Park, Keynsham and Patchway;
• reduced peak period services at Keynsham, Bedminster, Parson Street and Weston Milton;
• loss of early services between Bristol, Yate and Gloucester and late evening services at Yate, Cam and Dursley, Gloucester and Patchway;
• irregular intervals between trains from Bristol, Weston-super-Mare and Taunton, plus loss of connectivity on trains to/from London

Published by Bristol Rail Branch RMT - www.bristolrail.org.uk
Download document version here Download file

Posted on 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

RMT: November 27 2006

BRINGING RAIL maintenance back-in-house has played a major role in Network Rail’s efficiency gains, and the same medicine should be administered to track renewals, Britain’s biggest rail union says today.

"It is good news that the operating profit made by Network Rail will be ploughed back into the industry rather than disappear into shareholders' pockets - it's a pity that can't also be said of train operations," RMT general secretary Bob Crow said.

"A huge contribution to NR's efficiencies has been the decision to bring maintenance back in-house, and it would make sense to complete that job and bring renewals work back in house too.

"There will now be speculation about bonuses, and we would hope after the controversy of the last few years that it is the people who get out there and deliver the work who will reap the rewards.

"Network Rail is far from perfect, but today's figures underline what could be achieved if the disastrous PPP on London Underground was scrapped - and it underlines the need to keep the East London Line's operations out of the privateers' hands," Bob Crow said.

Posted on 10:20 PM | Permalink

The Times: November 27, 2006
Robin Pagnamenta

The Government has agreed to tear up GNER’s £1.3 billion franchise agreement to operate the East Coast main line railway, The Times has learnt.

The Department for Transport has decided to re-let the franchise, but as a temporary solution will allow GNER to continue to run it for up to two years on a new, fixed-management-contract basis.

The decision to allow GNER to continue to operate the franchise is bound to stoke anger from other UK rail operators facing similar pressures.

Talks are under way between the DfT and GNER’s bankrupt parent Sea Containers to agree the terms of the new arrangement. It is expected to run for between 18 and 24 months until a new invitation to tender can be produced and a train operating company selected.

An agreement with GNER is expected shortly because the company’s financial situation is unsustainable under the terms of the current franchise, for which Christopher Garnett, GNER’s former chief executive, admitted the group had overbid. GNER is understood to be perilously close to being in breach of its liquidity ratio, the amount of cash that it is legally required to retain to honour its franchise agreement.

“It’s a fix,” one rail industry source said. “It is at least one year’s work to write the invitation to tender and complete the bidding process and the Government would prefer a negotiated solution than to take the franchise back by force.”

The Government has stated repeatedly that it does not renegotiate rail franchises as a matter of policy.

A spokeswoman for Sea Containers said that negotiations were “commercially confidential” and a range of options were under consideration. She declined further comment.

Posted on 09:52 PM | Permalink

BBC News: 25 November 2006

Private security guards are to ride trains in the north of England to crack down on the abuse of rail staff.

Security guards are to patrol rail routes with a history of trouble

The action follows more than 300 incidents of abuse and assault on Northern Rail staff so far this year.

Rail union RMT says some of its members have been kicked in the head, punched in the face and so badly assaulted that they have taken weeks off work.

Northern Rail says it takes the problem extremely seriously and is employing security staff for problematic routes.

Northern Rail area director Malcom Brown said the guards were being introiduced on services from Leeds to Skipton, Bradford and Manchester.

Some rail staff have suffered verbal abuse, threats of violence and have been spat at by passengers.

Broken jaw

According to the RMT, the incidents of assaults and abuse across the rail network doubled from 2001 to 2005.

So far this year there have been more than 5,000 reported incidents.

A conductor, who had his jaw broken in two places when he was punched by a drunk man who he tried to bar from entering a train, told the BBC was a "very aggressive" and "very violent situation".

The conductor was forced to take two months off work as a result of his injury and had a titanium plate inserted into his bottom jaw.

The new security teams are supported by British Transport Police as a highly visible, reassuring presence to the travelling public" - Det Insp Andrea Rainey

RMT's general secretary Bob Crow said: "The statistics tell the sorry story of more and more violence against railway staff, particularly late at night and at weekends, and our members are telling Northern Trains that they have reached the end of the line."

"We will work with anyone who can help stop the violence - but Northern Rail really do not have the option of failing to respond positively to this campaign."

Stan Herschell - the regional organiser for the North East RMT - described the new strategy as a "negative response".

"Putting bouncers on tends to attract the trouble as opposed to taking it away," he told BBC Radio Five Live.

"I think it just gives the yobs who are travelling a different target - they have a go at the bouncers.

'Highly visible'

"Yes, they may leave my staff alone, but it's just moving the problem from one place to another."

British Transport Police (BTP) have welcomed the use of security staff.

Det Insp Andrea Rainey has worked closely with Northern on the implementation of the new teams.

He said: "The new security teams are supported by British Transport Police as a highly visible, reassuring presence to the travelling public on Northern routes.

"We hope that their presence on Northern trains will have a positive effect in preventing anti-social behaviour and low-level crime."

See also:

Train guards to protect rail staff

Press Association: November 25, 2006

Private security guards are to travel on trains in the north of England to crack down on the abuse of rail staff.

The BBC reports that the action follows more than 300 incidents of abuse and assault on Northern Rail staff so far this year.

Rail union RMT says some of its members have been kicked in the head, punched in the face and so badly assaulted that they have taken weeks off work.

Northern Rail says it takes the problem extremely seriously and is employing security staff for problematic routes.

Some rail staff have suffered verbal abuse, threats of violence and have been spat at by passengers.

According to the RMT, the incidents of assaults and abuse across the rail network doubled from 2001 to 2005.

So far this year there have been more than 5,000 reported incidents.

Posted on 09:41 AM | Permalink

RMT: 24 November 2006

LIFELONG LONDON underground worker John Leach has been elected president of RMT for the next three years after beating four other candidates for the post in a postal ballot.

John, at 39 the union's youngest president for many years, will succeed Tony Donaghey when his three-year term as president ends at the turn of the year.

"John has served twice on the RMT executive and is an experienced and respected trade unionist and I am sure he will make an excellent president," RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.

In other executive elections, Alex Gordon was elected unopposed to represent South Wales and West, Peter Gale was elected to represent the South West, Dave Gott was elected to represent Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, and Robert Potts was elected to represent the North East.

In addition, Peter Trend was elected to serve as the union's full-time second northern relief organiser.

ends

Note for editors: John Leach is currently a member of the RMT executive, representing members in the London region, and worked for London Underground most recently as a station supervisor.

The final result, after the redistribution of the votes cast for the three eliminated candidates, was: John Leach 6,865 Ray Knight 5,141.

Posted on 05:41 PM | Permalink

RMT: November 24 2006

TRADE UNIONISTS campaigning to keep the East London Line in public hands have today welcomed the parliamentary call by six London Labour MPs for the line to remain operated by the public sector when it reopens, after extension, in 2010.

The six MPs - Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell, Kate Hoey, Harry Cohen, Neil Gerrard and John Austsin- have today tabled a fresh motion calling on the mayor of London and TfL to drop plans to hand East London Line operations to one of four private contractors already shortlisted - see text below.

The MPs' move was today welcomed by RMT, TSSA and the TUC's southern and eastern region.

"There is already massive support for our joint campaign to keep the private sector out of the Tube's operations, and three quarters of people in London and the southeast agree that the East London Line should be kept public," noted RMT general secretary Bob Crow

"The extension and upgrade of the East London Line will be good for London, but in the light of the Tube chaos caused by private contractors there can be no doubt that placing its operations in private hands would be a huge mistake," said TSSA general secretary Gerry Doherty.

"The TUC is fully behind the campaign to keep the East London Line's operations in the public sector, and it can be done," added SERTUC seceretary Megan Dobney

RMT and TSSA members will tomorrow lobby the London Labour Party Conference, and the unions' general secretaries are urging delegates to support the campaign to keep the private sector out of Tube operations.

Delegates will also be urged to attend a lunch-time fringe rally to be addressed by RMT general secretary Bob Crow, TSSA assistant general secretary Manuel Cortes and Islington MP Jeremy Corbyn.

RMT, TSSA and SERTUC have already written to elected representatives throughout London, as well as TfL board members, urging them to raise concerns over the planned privatisation with the mayor.

ends

EDM, tabled by Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell, Kate Hoey, Harry Cohen, Neil Gerrard and John Austin

That this House welcomes the important role that London Underground East London Line extension will play in creating a world class transport infrastructure in preparation for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games; further notes that the East London line is currently operated in the public sector by London Underground; is concerned that there are proposals to transfer responsibility for operating the line to the private sector which would represent the first privatisation of a tube passenger service; believes that the benefits of an extended East London Line will be best achieved by the service remaining wholly in the public sector; notes the IPOS/ MORI poll showing that three quarters of people in London and the South East want the East London Line operations kept in the public sector; welcomes the decision of the 2006 TUC Congress opposing the privatisation of the East London Line and supports the rail unions and TUC campaign to keep the East London Line wholly in the public sector.

East LondonLine - briefing for journalists

October 2006

The East London Line, used by 10.4 million passengers a year, is part of the London Underground network. The line currently runs between Whitechapel to New Cross and New Cross Gate.

In December 2007 the line will close in order that Phase 1 of the East London Line Extension project can be completed. The line will extend north into Hackney and south to West Croydon, and is due to re-open in 2010.

The unions welcome the important role that the extension will play in creating a world-class transport infrastructure in preparation for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games, but we strongly believe that the needs of London will be better served by the line remaining in the public sector.

However, the body responsible for the East London Line Extension project - Transport for London (TfL) - proposes that the Line will no longer be operated by the publicly owned London Underground Limited but will instead be privatised to become part of the North London Railway (NLR) concession.

The concession will be comprised of the current Silverlink Metro services: the North London, Gospel Oak to Barking Line, the West London Line and the Euston to Watford Junction local services.

A short list of bidders has been drawn up and issued with Invitations to Tender - National Express, Govia, MTR Laing and NedRail. So far no public consultation on the privatisation plans has taken place. Additionally the Invitations to Tender are not in the public domain and bidders have been directed not to divulge what thay are being asked to bid for in terms of service and staff levels. Rail unions RMT and TSSA have complained to London Rail over the absence of consultation over the plan and the lack of transparency surrounding the process.

TfL's partial justification for the privatisation is that it wishes to link the East London Line with the current Silverlink Metro services that come under TfL control from November 2007. The whole package will be led by the TfL-controlled London Rail. However there is no physical, technical or legal reason why this cannot be done by retaining the East London Line within London Underground control.

TfL have also attempted to give the impression that the line was always to be franchised out to the private sector, but this is simply not the case. The decision to make the Passenger Service Operator a private-sector company was made only in April this year. Indeed, the are ample internal documents that show clearly that senior LUL managers were hoping that the line's operations would remain within LUL and was still in the running to be PSO as recently as March.

TfL also says that their proposal is not really privatisation, given that the infrastructure would be owned by TfL and that specification of service levels, fares, staffing etc would also remain with TfL. However, the services will be operated by a private-sector franchisee whose main aim will be to make a profit, and the operational staff will be employed by that private operator - a situation similar to the private train-operating companies, who are also subject to franchise specification and who also do not own rolling stock or infrastructure.

There is real and strong disagreement with the Mayor's proposals. Opposition to the privatisation of rail services is fully supported opinion polls and TUC and Labour Party policy. In September 2006 the TUC Congress passsed a motion opposing the privatisation of the East London Line, and the most recent opinion poll, conducted by IPSOS Mori in August 2006, showed that 74 per cent wanted the ELL operated by the public sector.

A number of London MPs have already signed Early Day Motion 2398 supporting the campaign against privatisation. Privately, senior London Underground managers are also opposed to proposals.

Private train operators have been a disaster for Britain's railways. While subsidy and profits have increased, services remain worse than those provided under public ownership. This mistake should not be repeated with the East London Line. We want all public subsidy and fare-box revenue spent on improvements to train services, not siphoned out of the network as profit for greedy train operators.

The Public Private Partnership on the London Underground has already created a fragmented network with frequent service disruptions caused by late running engineering works. It also sees around £2 million a week taken out of the network as 'profit' by underperforming Any moves to privatise the East London Line will exacerbate that fragmentation.

There may be a view that this is a one-off privatisation of Underground passenger operations. However the proposals could be the thin edge of the wedge. If the East London Line is privatised it would inevitably become easier to argue that privatisation of tube passenger services could be extended to other lines.

Posted on 05:34 PM | Permalink

RMT: November 24 2006

MARITIME UNION RMT has joined Irish sister union SIPTU in calling for an urgent investigation into all ferry and ro-ro vessels trading in the Irish Sea after an international Transport Workers’ Federation inspector today discovered workers on rates as low as €2 an hour.

ITF Inspector Ken Fleming boarded the ro-ro ferry Merchant Bravery this morning in the portof Dublin, at the invitation of ratings who said they had not been paid for more than four months.

The ITF has gathered evidence that 'double bookkeeping' was employed on the vessel, operated by Maersk subsidiary Norfolk Line between between Heysham and Dublin, and is acting to recover all the crews' wages and report its findings to the appropriate maritime authorities.

The 22 crewmembers on the Jamaican-flagged vessel are a mixture of Polish, Ukrainian and Russian seafarers.

The ITF found one able seaman who should have been earning around $3,200 a month, in accordance with his first contract of employment, was only being paid around $1,000 for 365-plus hours a month - or just over €2 an hour - on a second contract of employment.

Another rating who should have been earning $1,984 on one contract of was being paid only $850 on his second contract.

"This is what we call 'double book-keeping'," said ITF inspector Ken Fleming.

"It appears that the hours of work regulations are being abused on a daily basis and there is also a question mark over false certificates of competency. Further investigation by the ITF will follow."

He added that the ITF was considering the lawful arrest of the vessel on behalf of the crew members to reclaim wages in accordance with their first contract.

SIPTU and RMT, who have been campaigning jointly against 'social dumping' in the Irish Sea, are demanding the fullest investigation by the Irish and UK maritime authorities on all ferry and ro-ro vessels trading in the Irish sea.

"This is the shocking reality of social dumping, with crews employed in UK waters being paid at rates well below the minimum wage, and that is why we need urgent action to ensure that shipowners can no longer evade minimum employment standards," RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.

"This is another example of the detrimental impact of unfettered global capital on weak and vulnerable people," said SIPTU general president Jack O'Connor, who also called for immediate action in accordance with international law to rectify the injustice and ensure that at the very least a minimum threshold of decency is applied in the case of these seafarers.

ends

Notes to editors: RMT is working alongside maritime unions in Ireland, Belgium, France and the Netherlands to end 'social dumping' in which unionised crews are replaced with super-exploited, unorganised overseas labour employed on rates often below minimum-wage levels and working dangerously long hours.

In Britain the union is calling for an end to the exemption of shipowners from the Race Relations Act that allows them to continue discriminating with impunity.

RMT is also campaigning for the Tonnage Tax, under which shipowners receive millions in tax relief simply for setting up an operational base in the UK, to be made conditional on providing training and jobs for UK ratings.

Posted on 04:38 PM | Permalink

Bradford Telegraph & Argus: 22nd November 2006
By Jenny Loweth

An angry rail worker has told of the fear stalking his colleagues after a conductor was viciously attacked at a station.

Forster Square railway station in Bradford, scene of an attack which left a railway conductor injured

The senior union representative, who works as a conductor on the same line, said 1,000 Northern Rail staff had signed a petition demanding urgent action on safety.

The Rail Maritime and Transport union spokesman said rail staff felt harassed, undervalued and afraid after the middle-aged conductor was punched repeatedly in the face at Keighley station.

He told how graphic photos of his injuries were being circulated by rail workers on their company mobile phones as a warning to colleagues.
continued...

The union spokesman said: "This was an appallingly vicious attack.

"I have a photo on my phone. His face on one side is all black and blue and he has cuts under his eyes. It is a real mess."

The union representative cannot be publicly identified because of company policy. But he said yesterday: "He is seriously traumatised - and so are his colleagues."

The conductor needed hospital treatment and is still off work.

As previously reported, he was assaulted after a ticket dispute with five passengers on the 10.06pm service from Bradford Forster Square to Skipton on Monday, November 13. Northern Rail is offering a £1,000 reward for information leading to a successful arrest and conviction.

The union spokesman said the attack followed a similar serious assault on a conductor at Guiseley last year.

He claimed that the railway network between Skipton, Leeds and Bradford was a blackspot for attacks on staff.

"Every train that runs on that line after 6pm is a potential problem," he said.

He said that of the 1,100 conductors on Northern Rail, up to 800 had already signed the petition.

It demands an increase in staff numbers on trains and at stations, keeping stations open until the last train has gone, more use of British Transport Police and that Northern Rail managers work weekends to co-ordinate resources.

Union members also want "dry trains" on some routes and manned barriers so that people who have had too much to drink are barred from getting on trains.

And he fears an escalation of violence in the run-up to Christmas.

He said: "It might be the season of goodwill for other people but for our staff it heralds a time of harassment, threats and violence."

The RMT union says that, nationally, physical assaults, threats and verbal abuse on staff have more than doubled between 2001 and last year to more than 4,700.

There has been a further increase this year to more than 5,000 incidents, leading to union calls for a zero tolerance approach to violence.

Malcolm Brown, area director of Northern Rail, said: "The safety and well-being of our staff and customers is of paramount importance to us at Northern that is why we have a zero tolerance policy towards anti-social, abusive and criminal behaviour on our network.

"Our staff have the right to carry out their duties without fear of abuse and we will not tolerate anyone who threatens their safety.

"I would urge anyone with any information on last Monday's vicious assault to contact the British Transport Police."

A spokesman for British Transport Police said that in response to concerns by Northern Rail staff a senior officer had been seconded to the company since February.

High profile patrols were operating on some services to support rail staff.

Rail security teams are employed on Airedale line by Northern to combat violence.

Three teams of two-strong patrols are providing support to staff and passengers at stations and on board trains.

Anyone with any information about the attack should call British Transport Police on 0800 405040 or (0113) 2436686.

Posted on 08:56 AM | Permalink

Chinaview: Nov. 23, 2006

BEIJING -- China will invest 1.5 trillion yuan ($190 billion U.S. dollars=£98 billion sterling) to increase the nation's rail network to over 90,000 kilometers by 2010.

"We will invest 300 billion yuan ($38 billion dollars=£19.65 billion) in railway construction next year," Li Guoyong, transportation director of the National Development and Reform Commission, said yesterday at the China Railway Financing Forum.

The investment, described by Li as "the biggest in China's history," would increase the size of China's rail network by almost 20 percent.

The 1.5 trillion yuan ($190 billion dollars=£98 billion) investment includes 250 billion yuan ($31.6 billion dollars=£16.35 billion) for vehicle purchasing, over 600 billion yuan ($76 billion dollars=£39.34 billion) for railway lines and over 625 billion yuan ($79 billion dollars=£40.91 billion) for civil engineering.

China's 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-10) states that solving hardware problems, such as the network and machinery, are the core issues for the development of the nation's railways.

"The transportation turnover rate for railways will double with the completion of main trunk lines in 2010," said Long Hua, an analyst from Industrial Securities Co.

"The railway industry's boom is expected to last over 10 years."

Slow and relatively poor-quality services and busy trunk lines remain the major problems confronting China's rail industry.

A lack of services will remain a problem in 2010, but the Ministry of Railways expects this to be solved by 2015.

"We plan to set up an inter-city passenger transportation express, which will reach a speed of at least 200 kilometers per hour," said Li.

Posted on 08:41 AM | Permalink

Yorkshire Post: 23 November 2006
William Green, Political Correspondent

A SUBSTANTIAL increase in trains between Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire is on the way after the Government yesterday pledged £2m a year for extra services.

Seven services currently run daily between Sheffield and Nottingham, two of which extend to Leeds, but that number will rise to 28 – 14 each way – from December 2008.

All trains are expected to call hourly at Wakefield Kirkgate, Barnsley, Meadowhall, Sheffield, Chesterfield and Alfreton, with many stopping at Dronfield and Langley Mill.

The services will be run by operator Northern Rail and will be in addition to the existing semi-fast route between Leeds and Sheffield via Barnsley.

Rail Minister Tom Harris said: "This is good news for passengers in Leeds and Nottingham who will benefit from a fourfold increase in services. It will mean more capacity at busy times, more seats for passengers and will develop transport links between these important cities."

Northern Rail said it was an excellent opportunity to build on growth.

Posted on 08:32 AM | Permalink

BBC News: 23 November 2006

MSPs have supported proposals for a major project to reopen the railway line between Airdrie to Bathgate.

Network Rail expressed delight at the decision by MSPs

The £300m scheme will include an upgrade of the links between North Lanarkshire and West Lothian and the construction of two stations by 2010.

There has been cross-party support for the plans, with an ambition to draw more businesses to the central belt.

The line, which would carry four services an hour between Edinburgh and Glasgow, has been closed for 50 years.

Phil Gallie, convener of the Airdrie-Bathgate Railway Bill Committee, said the link would create more than 1,500 new jobs and ease congestion in both cities by offering an alternative to the M8.

"Physically this is a railway for the communities of the Airdrie/Bathgate railway corridor but its benefits go far beyond those areas," the South of Scotland MSP said.

The plans outlined in the Airdrie-Bathgate Railway and Linked Improvements Bill include new stations at Armadale and Caldercruix, relocated stations at Bathgate and Drumgelloch and upgraded stations at Livingston North, Uphall and Airdrie.

Having passed the preliminary stage, the bill will be considered again in January.

"The more people we can get on the trains the better for the congestion on the M8" - David Davidson MSP, Tory transport spokesman

Mr Gallie insisted that accessibility to stations by cycle path and bus would be essential.

However, he said more must be done to ensure integrated bus services and expressed doubt that sufficient funding had been earmarked to help.

Transport Minister Tavish Scott gave the Scottish Executive's backing to the plans.

He said it was a core part of the transport infrastructure plan and fitted in with the aim of "promoting sustainable economic growth".

The Scottish economy would benefit by £679m, at a rate of £1.81 for every £1 spent from the line, the minister claimed.

Mr Scott gave assurances that the executive would help ensure the rail line would be linked with local bus services.

Additional stations

SNP transport spokesman Fergus Ewing said his party backed the proposed new line.

However, he said as trains on the new route would take longer than the existing Glasgow to Edinburgh service, the line would primarily serve people in the West Lothian and North Lanarkshire areas.

He said the SNP would commit funds to building a station at Blackridge in West Lothian.

David Davidson, Conservative transport spokesman, also urged ministers to consider building additional stations at both Blackridge and Plains in North Lanarkshire.

"The more people we can get on the trains the better for the congestion on the M8," he said.

Green MSP Robin Harper said little had been done so far to accommodate those who would wish to walk and cycle to stations.

Ron McAulay, Network Rail's director for Scotland, said: "It is great news that today's debate went so well and that MSPs across the board are in favour of the bill proceeding to the next stage.

"This means the Airdrie-Bathgate proposals have passed another significant milestone and that Network Rail, as promoter of the bill, is one step closer to delivering the new railway."

Posted on 08:23 AM | Permalink

22 November 2006

The West Coast Main Line may not be able to sustain passenger growth within 10 years despite massive investment, a government watchdog has warned.

The NAO says industry consensus predicts the line filling up

The rail line between Glasgow and London is undergoing an £8.6bn upgrade.

The National Audit Office said it might not be able to cope with current levels of growth beyond 2015.

It said the line - the busiest in Britain - had been a victim of its own success and more work may be needed due to rapidly rising passenger numbers.

Network Rail said the increase in passenger numbers was a sign of success and voiced confidence that the numbers could be accommodated.

Deputy chief executive Iain Coucher told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We've got a programme of work still being undertaken now and more trains will be coming on over the next couple of years.

We are looking at capacity issues, but the only way we can actually tackle this problem is to take forward the work that we have already started - Douglas Alexander, Transport Secretary
Full interview

"And going forward, there's a whole range of things we can do: longer trains, more trains per hour through the key bottlenecks and then eventually closer together through new signalling systems."

Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander told BBC Radio Scotland "capacity issues" were being looked at.

"We have seen passenger numbers rising - indeed we have a one billion passenger railway, the fastest-growing passenger railway anywhere in Europe," he said.

Numbers of carriages had already been increased from eight to nine, said Mr Alexander, and there were plans to increase the number of trains from nine to 12 by 2008.

The line runs between Glasgow and London

The results of an independent review, which is examining the issue of capacity and the case for a new high-speed rail line, are due to be published within weeks.

Mr Alexander said he would unveil plans for the future of the railways next summer.

The auditors' report on the west coast line warned that electronic signalling equipment might become obsolete significantly earlier than expected.

To sustain train operations, the line's operator, Virgin Trains, was paid £590m more in subsidy in the period 2002-06 than envisaged in its franchise agreement, their report said.

National Audit Office (NAO) head Sir John Bourn said: "The weaknesses in the management of the project before 2002 should provide ample warning of the dangers of entering into a scheme on this scale without clear leadership, plans and project management expertise."

Following the warnings, shadow transport secretary Chris Grayling said he was "more and more concerned by the government's apparent inactivity over the mounting capacity crisis on our railways".

He said: "Over the next seven to 10 years we will see a third more passengers, but no more capacity for them to travel.

'If we are to offer a viable alternative to flights within the UK we are going to have to start planning to meet extra demand ' - Alistair Carmichael, Liberal Democrats

"We're going to need pretty urgent action, but the government has yet to come up with anything."

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Alistair Carmichael said the upgrade was "only a short-term solution to the capacity problems that will arise in the next decade".

"If we are to offer a viable alternative to flights within the UK we are going to have to start planning to meet extra demand by putting forward proposals for new high speed lines," he said.

The Scottish National Party said the Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition had failed to deliver a high speed rail link after seven years of power in Scotland and provide a link to the Eurostar system.

The report said the upgrade's remaining key projects would increase capacity for passengers and freight, but the industry consensus was that the line would not be able to sustain current growth levels beyond 2015-2020.

The west coast line now has high-speed tilting Pendolino trains, which have significantly cut journey times between Scotland, the north of England and London.

The NAO said punctuality and passenger satisfaction were much improved and the number of passenger journeys on Virgin West Coast increased by 20% in 2005-06, which was 4% more than expected.

Posted on 05:24 PM | Permalink

RMT: November 22, 2006

West Coast debacle underlines private-sector failure, says union

BRITAIN URGENTLY needs a new high-speed north-south railway, built as a public-sector project, Britain’s biggest rail union says today in the wake of the National Audit Office’s damning verdict on the West Coast Mainline upgrade.

The NAO report revealed that the “vastly overbudget” £8.6 billion upgrade will be incapable of coping with passenger growth as soon as 2015, and incorporates signalling components that will be obsolete significantly earlier than expected.

“The private sector has proved itself breathtakingly inefficient, wasteful and incapable of serious long-term transport planning that can deliver the huge increase in capacity our environment demands,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.

“The private train operator on the West Coast line has also taken nearly £600 million more in public subsidy than originally expected under its franchise agreement.

“The stark warnings in the Stern report underline the need for a fundamental rethink by the government about transport priorities, and a shift from road and air travel to trains, trams and buses.

“If we are to get people out of cars and planes and onto trains we need a growing, joined-up and affordable railway in an integrated transport network, and a new high-speed north-south railway is clearly essential.“However, it is equally clear that it cannot be delivered by the current fragmented and privatised set-up.

“We hope that the Eddington Transport Study will accept RMT’s submission, not only that a north-south high-speed railway line is essential, but that it should be delivered as part of an integrated and publicly owned railway,” Bob Crow said.

Note: Sir Rod Eddington was commissioned by the government to undertake a study of the transport system, and is expected to publish his report shortly.

Posted on 03:30 PM | Permalink

International Transport Workers' Federation: 21 November 2006

The ITF is describing the violent re-arrest of Iranian trade unionist Mansour Osanloo as an outrageous attempt to crush both a brave individual and all attempts to assert basic trade union rights in the country.

Mansoor Osanloo, President of Tehran & Suburbs Bus Company Union

Mansour Osanloo, the President of the trade union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, was only released on bail in August 2006 after a long campaign of intimidation by Iranian police and state security agents that has seen him and colleagues brutally arrested and meetings violently broken up. His release followed an international campaign led by the ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation ) and ICFTU, now renamed ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation) that involved protests to Iran, demonstrations outside embassies and a formal complaint to the ILO (see www.itfglobal.org/press-area/index.cfm/pressdetail/718 for previous press release and www.itfglobal.org/urban-transport/tehranbuses.cfm for full background and chronology.

The ITF has now received news that despite the injuries he had previously sustained Mansour Osanloo was bundled into a car by pistol firing unidentified plain clothes security officials on 19 November. At the time of the arrest, he was with two colleagues on their way to the Ministry of Labour. He was approached by about at least five plain clothes agents who told him he was under arrest. When he asked them to show their identification cards and warrant for his arrest they refused and started beating him and pulling him towards a car. When one of his colleagues asked to see ID he was also abused, punched and had a gun pointed at him. After firing a shot in the air the men forced Osanloo into a car and drove off.

Both the ITUC and ITF have already written to the Iranian government protesting this latest arrest (See related documents).

Osanloo had an eye operation last Thursday following injuries he sustained during a previous arrest and his eye was heavily bandaged. He was due to attend a court hearing tomorrow to answer charges leveled against him and about 16 other union members by state prosecutors regarding the bus workers' job action last year.

Neither his wife nor his lawyer have any information on where he has been taken. News of his arrest has been reported by official news agencies including ILNA and ISNA.

ITF General Secretary David Cockroft said: “Just when it looks like the Iranian government might try to abide by basic standards on human and trade union rights in this case they do it again - sending in their bully boys to beat and threaten and arrest. This is an appalling case that is revolting opinion around the world. We and other trade unionists worldwide will redouble our efforts to put pressure on the Iranian government to leave this man alone and permit the efforts to build a free trade union of a kind that most of us take for granted.”

ENDS

For more information contact ITF press officer, Sam Dawson.
Direct line: + 44 (0)20 7940 9260.
Email: dawson_sam@itf.org.uk

International Transport Workers' Federation - ITF:
HEAD OFFICE
ITF House, 49 - 60 Borough Road, London SE1 1DS
Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7403 2733
Fax: + 44 (0) 20 7375 7871
Email: mail@itf.org.uk
Web: www.itfglobal.org

Posted on 05:22 AM | Permalink

The Scotsman: 20 Nov 2006

UNION leaders called today for action to halt a "disturbing" increase in assaults against railway workers after new evidence that official statistics did not show the true scale of the problem.

The Rail Maritime and Transport union said assaults, threats and verbal abuse more than doubled between 2001 and last year to more than 4700 incidents.

There had been a further rise this year, to over 5000, leading to union calls for a ban on alcohol on some services.

Posted on 04:28 AM | Permalink

RMT: November 20, 2006

STATUTORY TARGETS to get people out of cars and onto public transport must be a central plank of any strategy to combat climate change, Britain’s specialist transport union says today.

As MPs prepared to debate the environmental aspects of last week’s Queen’s Speech, RMT put forward for discussion an eight-point action plan aimed at harnessing public transport to help combat global warming. The eight points are:

*Introduction of statutory targets for ‘modal shift’ in transport use from private car and air travel to trains, buses and trams

*A statutory requirement for the Department for Transport to publish a strategy for reducing carbon emissions in the transport sector.

*Regulated and simplified rail and bus fares structured to encourage modal shift, rather than dictated by commercial considerations.

*Investment for significant increases in rail and bus capacity to be supported by ring-fenced revenues from road pricing.

*Increased investment and research into the production of carbon-efficient buses, trains cars and aeroplanes.

*An immediate review of the government’s road-building and airport-expansion plans.

*Amendment of the ACAS Code of Practice and legislation to give trade-union environmental representatives the same rights as industrial and health and safety reps.

“A climate-change bill is an important first step, but Britain will only be able to meet its climate-change challenge if policy measures are introduced that will get people out of cars and planes and onto trains, buses and trams,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.

“To do that public transport has to be made attractive, available and affordable for all.

“Ring-fencing revenue raised from road-pricing would be a welcome step towards making sufficient funds available to invest in the public transport Britain needs.

“The joined-up transport network the environment needs must also mean an end to the damaging fragmentation brought about by bus deregulation and rail privatisation,” Bob Crow said.

Posted on 08:17 PM | Permalink

RMT: November 20 2006

TUBE INFRASTRUCTURE work should be brought back in-house before the privateer contractors bring the entire system grinding to a halt, London Underground's biggest union says today.

As the capital was plunged into chaos by engineering overruns and infrastructure failure on three of London's essential Tube arteries, RMT renewed its call for the part-privatisation of the network to be scrapped

"Privatisation of Tube infrastructure has demonstrably failed, failed and failed again," RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.

"Only last week the PPP Arbiter issued a damning report on Metronet's failure to deliver, and this morning Londoners have woken up to find huge chunks of the Underground network simply not working.

"Tube infrastructure work needs to be carried out by an organisation whose sole aim is providing a service, not by privateers whose main aim is to drain as much profit as possible out of the system.

"We have said time and time again that the PPP is a complex device designed to convert public money into guaranteed, risk-free profits.

"Today should also serve as a warning that plans to allow privateers to get their hands on the operations of the East London Line should also be scrapped.

"How many more times does this have to happen before the government bows to the inevitable and allows the miserable PPP to be buried once and for all?" Bob Crow said.

Posted on 06:54 PM | Permalink

Japan Times: Nov. 20, 2006

This section of Tsuyama Line in Okayama has history of debris hitting tracks

A teo-car train on JR West's Tsuyama Line lies on its side after derailing Sunday morning in Okayama. Railway officials suspect the rails had been bent by a boulder that rolled down the mountain. KYODO

OKAYAMA (Kyodo) A two-car train derailed and landed on its side early Sunday on West Japan Railway Co.'s Tsuyama Line in Okayama, injuring 24 of the 25 passengers as well as the driver, fire department officials said.

The injured were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. Three suffered serious injuries, the officials said.

JR West suspects a 6-meter-long boulder found at the site may have been loosened by a landslide and rolled over the rails, bending them. The Tsuyama Line cuts through a deep mountain forest. Rails were bent up to 30 meters from the accident site.

The section has frequently been hit by landslides, including one in February 2005 in which a train hit rocks and mud that had fallen on the tracks. JR West said it has not taken preventive measures, such as installing a barrier to stop falling rocks.

Intermittent rain had been falling in the area since Saturday afternoon.

According to JR West, the train left Tsuyama Station at 4:29 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive at Okayama Station at 5:45 a.m.

While running between Makiyama and Tamagashi stations, the train's two cars jumped the tracks at about 5:35 a.m. and came to a rest on the mountain slope running alongside the line.

JR West employees said they found fallen rocks around the rails. The rocks also created large holes in a road running alongside the tracks. One of them -- a boulder about 6 meters long, 3 meters wide and 2 meters tall -- might have bent the rails and caused the derailment, they said.

No rocks apparently hit the train itself, they said.

JR West quoted the driver of the train as saying that just before the accident he hit the emergency brake when he saw some ripped up plants on the tracks, suggesting there had been a landslide.

The train was traveling at 65 to 70 kph when the driver hit the brake, according to JR West.

Kenta Ninomiya, a 17-year-old high school student from the nearby town of Tatebe, was chatting with friends in the second car when he heard a loud noise. His body shot forward as the train's emergency brake kicked in.

Sunday's derailment comes about 18 months after a JR West train on the Fukuchiyama Line in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, jumped the tracks and hit a condominium building, killing 107 people and injuring more than 500.

Posted on 04:50 AM | Permalink

The 2006 pay deal is 3.8% or £650, whichever is greater. 1,200 staff will get more than 3.8% as a result of the flat rate increase of £650 as follows: staff on £11,000 salary = 6% pay rise; £12,00