IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED TO ESCALATE “ACTION AGAINST ASSAULTS” CAMPAIGN

Our ref: HSR

Head Office Circular: NP/141/25

2^nd September 2025

To: The Secretary

All branches and Regional Councils

 

Dear Colleague

 

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED TO ESCALATE “ACTION AGAINST ASSAULTS” CAMPAIGN

 

Your Brighton and Hove City branch has submitted the following resolution:

 

Brighton and Hove City branch note that verbal abuse, spitting, racist and homophobic language, threats of and physical violence are now routine for many RMT members in customer-facing roles, creating a toxic and highly unsafe working environment.

 

That on Friday 4th July 2025, On-Board Supervisor & Sussex Coast Branch Secretary, Brother Chris Rodway was violently assaulted while carrying out his duties on a Southern Railway service. 

 

That this is NOT an isolated incident, but the latest in a pattern of growing anti-social behaviour and physical abuse toward frontline rail workers across all our networks. 

 

That the On-Board Supervisor involved was left physically injured and taken to hospital by ambulance, left traumatised, and that staff continue to face unacceptable levels of risk due to the employer’s failure to implement adequate safety measures, including staffing, security presence, proper working CCTV, and a zero-tolerance enforcement against any kind of anti-social behaviour. 

 

The actions of the perpetrator constitute clear breaches of the National Railway Byelaws, including: 

•              Byelaw 6 – Unacceptable Behaviour 

•              Byelaws 9-12 - Equipment & Safety 

•              Byelaw 24 – Enforcement provisions allowing staff and police to remove offenders and prosecute violations (which staff are prevented from exercising due to company policies) 

Brighton & Hove City Branch believes: 

 

That management's inaction is a dereliction of their duty of care, and in potential breach of both workplace safety laws and public transport legislation. 

 

That the employer's failure to uphold or enforce the Railway Byelaws undermines their own policies and renders our workplaces unsafe. 

 

That Brighton City Branch is prepared to act with decisive industrial action to force the employer to take our members’ safety seriously. 

 

Brighton & Hove City Branch therefore resolves: 

 

The Lead Officer to engage with the TOCs to demand the following from them: 

•              An enhanced formal joint safety review with RMT reps 

•              The deployment of increased and adequate security personnel on all services and in stations during all operating hours with a mandate to act in accordance with the byelaws. This includes but is not limited to removal of undesired persons on railway property, those passengers without a valid ticket, or intent or persistently causing upset or harm to others, and all forms of anti-social behaviour 

•              End of lone working on all services and in stations 

•              A public zero-tolerance approach by British Transport Police on abuse of rail workers and full enforcement of the railway bylaws.

The National Executive Committee to be aware of this branch's position and request coordinated regional or national escalation, in line with the Action Against Assaults campaign including reaching out to all sister branches to request support. 

 

The General Secretary & Senior Assistant General Secretary to publicly raise the Action Against Assaults campaign profile to include – the media (Newspaper, social media & Television), with passengers, and with local & governmental politicians – for safer working conditions and to raise awareness of the daily risks faced by rail staff. Also to make it clear to all involved that Body Worn Cameras are NOT the answer to this and that increased security and British Transport Police funding ARE. 

 

The National Executive Committee to initiate ballots for industrial action should Train Operating Companies and the Department for Transport continue to fail to comply with their statutory responsibilities to railway staff”.

 

At its meeting on 19^th August 2025 your National Executive Committee noted and adopted the following report from its health and safety sub-committee:

 

We note the resolution on file from our Brighton branch, for which it is thanked. We note with alarm the assault on our member Brother Rodway.

 

The General Secretary is instructed to act in line with the sentiments of the resolution, as part of our “Action Against Assaults” campaign, noting that many of the points raised therein are already the policy of this union.

 

As per the file on Action Against Staff Assaults, RMT is committed to prioritising our campaign around staff assaults – as we cannot continue to see our members undertake their duties in frighting conditions

 

We note that a range of activities will have been undertaken in support of the campaign including the launch of the Action Against Assaults Campaign and presentation of members survey at the AGM - and the General Secretary has been asked to provide a written report for September stats week updating us on campaign development and next steps. 

 

The General Secretary is further instructed to raise with Govia Thameslink Railways the individual case of Brother Rodway, together with demands for an enhanced formal joint safety review with RMT reps and the deployment of increased and adequate security personnel on all services and in stations during all operating hours with a mandate to act in accordance with the byelaws. This includes, but is not limited to, removal of undesired persons on railway property, those passengers without a valid ticket, or intent or persistently causing upset or harm to others, and all forms of anti-social behaviour.

 

We will support Brother Rodway throughout and will use all means at our disposal to do so.

 

Branches and Regional Councils to be informed accordingly. 

 

I am acting in line with these instructions. Please bring this circular to the attention of all relevant members.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Eddie Dempsey

General Secretary