Hatfield's dead and injured paid the real cost of privitisation, says RMT

Publication Date: July 24 2006

THE FOUR people killed, the dozens injured and the thousands more traumatised by the Hatfield crash have borne the real human cost of rail privatisation, Britain’s biggest rail union says today as the final report into the 2000 disaster was published.

"The victims of Hatfield were victims of privatisation, which put profit ahead of safety," RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.

"The Hatfield trial descended into a farce which effecively said that safety rules were broken but that no-one was responsible.

"It is shameful that no-one was held to account for a tragedy that could and should have been avoided.

"Insult was added to that injury when the fines imposed on Balfour Beatty were slashed by £2.5 million by the appeal court.

"It is only right that they and the other privateers have since been thrown off rail maintenance, and Network Rail should now complete that job and bring track renewals work back in-house too," Bob Crow said.