22 February 2023
RMT Press Office
Rail union RMT, has criticised the role of the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) ahead of a keynote speech by its Chief Inspector of Railways Ian Prosser.
Mr Prosser will address 170 RMT safety reps at the union's National Health and Safety conference in York today.
RMT has been critical of ORR’s role during the current national rail dispute for failing to exercise its role as the regulator, failing to hold employers to account for their use of insufficiently trained “continency labour” to break the strikes.
The union has also raised many examples rail safety breaches caused as a result which the ORR has done nothing about.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "The ORR has a responsibility to investigate the unsafe use of strike breaking labour and should be holding rail employers to account for their activities.
"Our members have reported railway safety breaches on strike days, but this has been ignored by the regulator.
"Rail companies have a statutory responsibility to run a safe railway and their approach on strike days so far has been totally unacceptable.
"Safety on the railways is at the forefront of our members minds which is why RMT is totally opposed to Network Rail's so-called "Modernising maintenance " plans.
"They are planning a 50% reduction in scheduled maintenance tasks, hundreds of job losses and more unsocial hours shifts.
"The cost cutting agenda posed by these plans, represents a threat to safety standards, our members wellbeing and to the travelling public.
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Tagged with: ORR, Ian Prosser, RMT, Mick Lynch
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