
27 September 2017
RMT Press Office:
RMT responds to Greater Anglia claims that an unsafe, scab army will allow them to run services next week
General Secretary Mick Cash said:
“RMT is aware of plans Greater Anglia are putting in place to minimise the effect of RMT industrial action during our current dispute. This includes providing a rushed and compressed training to non-safety critical staff in a desperate attempt to carry on running business as usual. We believe these contingency plans include provision for persons utilised as guards (PUGS). This is effectively a scab army of poorly trained managers, with corners cut and safety compromised.
“RMT has already been alerted to an incident on 20th September 2017 on 2D76 the 11:17 Ipswich to Lowestoft service. The manager in training released the train doors before the train was stationary at Halesworth Station. This is exactly the kind of danger Greater Anglia is flirting with as it puts strike breaking before passenger safety.
“RMT would suggest that the company’s time and effort would be more productively utilised in reaching an agreeable solution to the dispute rather than this botched and potentially lethal attempt to weaken the effect of our industrial action. RMT will be closely monitoring the situation and we would remind Jamie Burles and the senior managers at Abellio Greater Anglia that responsibility for any safety failures as a result of their actions will lay firmly at their door.”
Ends