FINAL REMINDER: Parliamentary Demo: Stop Grinch Shapps stealing South Western Railway services

Head Office Circular: NP/450
14th December 2021
To: The Secretary
ALL BRANCHES
REGIONAL COUNCILS

FINAL REMINDER: Parliamentary Demo: Stop Grinch Shapps stealing South Western Railway services

RMT Union is organising a demo outside the UK Parliament tomorrow Wednesday 15th December 2021 at 1pm at Old Palace Yard to protest the cuts being proposed on South Western Railway (SWR) from December 2022.

SWR and Network Rail are proposing to make swingeing cuts to services across the SWR Network using the Covid-19 pandemic as a cover to reduce services and launch an attack on jobs and conditions.

SWR and Network Rail consulted over the Summer and are proposing cutting:

A total of 13 per cent of high peak trains per hour to London.
A total of 14 per cent of Off-peak trains per hour to London.
A total of 14 per cent of Main Suburban AM peak trains per hour to London.
A total of 14 per cent of Main Suburban off peak trains per hour to London.

These cuts to services are regressive and entirely short-sighted. In the year that the UK hosted vital climate talks at COP26 cutting rail services is sending a terrible message that public transport is expendable and not part of the solution to the climate crisis.

Almost 3,000 of us and 265 Councillors and MPs from across political parties in the South West Region have totally rejected these cuts and we are now 12 months away from these cuts being implemented and we need to send a strong and clear message that we will simply not accept and cuts to railway services or attacks on pay or conditions.

We need to keep the pressure up so please email your MP today asking them to sign EDM 508 and stop the cuts to SWR services: https://www.rmt.org.uk/letter/swr-cuts-letter-to-mp/

Please join us on Wednesday 15th December at 1pm at Old Palace Yard. If you have any queries please contact National Policy Officer, Martin Abrams on m.abrams@rmt.org.uk

Due to ongoing Covid-19 pandemic please could all RMT attendees wear face coverings at the demo. Grinch masks will be available on request

Yours sincerely

Michael Lynch
General Secretary