12 December 2016
RMT Press Office:
RMT calls for ORR investigation into Southern sabotage of rail services.
RAIL UNION RMT will today write to the Office of Road and Rail demanding an urgent investigation after it emerged that Southern Rail cancelled up to 90% of its services from the south coast over the weekend due to "staff shortages" when in fact there were train crew in the depots ready to work and awaiting instructions.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said;
"Southern have moved from a position peddling lies to one of deliberate sabotage of services just to give them another excuse to stick the boot into their own staff. That is a disgraceful and cynical development that proves that the company could not give two hoots about the travelling public, running a safe and reliable rail service or resolving the current dispute.
"Throughout the past year the Office of Road and Rail, supposedly an independent regulator, have either sat on their hands or sided with Southern Rail. It is now time for the ORR to get off their backsides and thoroughly investigate this scandal on Britain's biggest rail franchise."
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