5 March 2025
RMT Press Office:
RAIL union RMT called on Merseyside politicians today to support the nationalisation of Merseyrail services following press reports that City Region Councillors are considering an option to extend the privatisation of the services when its contract expires in 2028.
In an answer to a question in parliament from Liverpool Labour MP Kim Johnson, the transport minister had previously confirmed that the mayor has the legal powers to take the service into public ownership.
RMT has pointed out that under the contract Merseyrail has made £212 million in dividends since 2003.
The union has said that at a time when the Labour government nationally is taking services into public ownership it would be a betrayal of passengers if Labour in Liverpool and the Combined Regional Authority area decided to re-privatise rail services it has control over.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that the union had received assurances in the past that Mayor Steve Rotheram wanted to take Merseyrail into public ownership, and he had the power to do just that.
“Since the contract has started in 2003 an eyewatering £212 million in dividends has been fleeced off in profits, money that could have been spent cutting fares and improving services, as well as insourcing outsourced contracts, which the Labour Government has stated we will see the biggest wave of insourcing.
“However, Merseyrail has been so greedy they have even refused to directly employ hard working rail cleaners who were so important to keeping services safe during Covid and today. Merseyside’s politicians now also need to demand that our cleaners are taken in -house.
“I wrote to Steve Rotheram last October urging that he supports public ownership, and I am writing to both the Mayor and Councillors to urge them to do the right thing and bring the service into public ownership when the contract expires in 2028,” he said.
Ends
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