18 November 2025
RMT Press Office:
RMT steps up campaign to end outsourcing after Lord Ashcroft revealed as majority owner in contractor accused of bullying.
Rail union RMT, will hold a major Day of Action at Manchester Piccadilly on Wednesday 19 November, stepping up its national campaign to end outsourcing across Britain’s railways.
The action follows a strike by RMT members employed by Carlisle Support Services on Northern’s revenue protection and gate line contract, who took industrial action over pay within a management culture of bullying, harassment and intimidation.
And now new evidence uncovered by RMT shows the scale of profiteering by outsourcing companies operating across the network, including multi-million-pound dividends, heavy debt loading by private equity funds, soaring executive pay and interest payments flowing overseas.
Despite being a publicly owned operator, Northern continues to outsource core station work to Carlisle Support Services, a company 68% owned by Lord Ashcroft who resides in Belize, via a nominee shareholder in Leeds.
All this takes place against a backdrop of frontline rail staff being denied basic rights such as company sick pay.
Alongside Carlisle Support Services, the outsourcing model across the country sees firms extracting vast sums from the railway while frontline staff are denied basic rights.
Mitie paid out £54.5m to shareholders, spent £104m on buybacks and handed its CEO £20.5m, while OCS was loaded with £1bn of private-equity debt and Churchill Group saw owners extract £43m in dividends as its director pay surged 230%.
Across the network, Bidvest Noonan faces rising debts with interest charges expected to hit £9m, and SSP/Rail Gourmet has paid £544m in dividends since 2018 while running a further £100m share buyback scheme.
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: "Lord Ashcroft has used offshore trusts and non-dom status in Belize to shelter wealth from UK tax while holding major stakes in UK infrastructure services.
"He has no business being allowed to run any British company let alone one that super exploits outsourced railway workers.
“These companies are exploiting our members and ripping off passengers and the taxpayer by extracting wealth from the country and paying it out in dividends abroad.
“Our members on the Carlisle contract have shown real tenacity standing up to intimidation and will not be beaten.
“With Great British Railways on the way, the Government has a duty to railway workers and the public to ensure the end of the super exploitation of cleaners, gate line staff, revenue teams, dispatchers, catering and security, making sure they are brought in-house as part of a fully integrated, publicly owned railway.”
END
End Outsourcing Day of Action
Location: Manchester Piccadilly Station Approach
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