5 January 2017
RMT Press Office:
RMT slams Office of Road and Rail report into Southern Rail as a "total whitewash that makes a mockery of the notion of independence".
Mick Cash RMT General Secretary said:
“The report into Driver Only Operation on Southern Rail issued by the ORR this morning is a complete whitewash that proves conclusively that the Office of Road and Rail is no longer fit for purpose and is nothing more than an arm of Government, wholly committed to propping up the train companies and the Department for Transport.
“The authors of this report have taken no evidence from the trade unions, have swallowed whole the distorted pictures painted by Southern Rail and have limited their work to the issue of door control when there is a whole raft of safety issues that are allied to the question of Driver Only Operation. That is scandalous.
“Passengers and our members are now left in a position where there is no genuinely independent safety regulation on Britain’s railways and that is an appalling situation. RMT has no confidence in ORR whatsoever and will continue the fight for safety on Southern and across our railways and genuine, independent scrutiny free from the stranglehold of Central Government.”
Ends.
Unity House
Tel: 020 7387 4771
Email: