Support the Southern Strike

ASLEF picket line outside Brighton station, 16 December 2016

“I am not striking for more money, not for shorter hours, and not for better terms and conditions. I’m going on strike – along with my colleagues, who are all members of Aslef, the train drivers’ union – to protect the safety of our passengers.”  A Southern train driver explains why ASLEF members are striking.  The UK has one of the safest railways, which is why people have become a bit blasé about danger on the railway.  But our safe railway and good safety culture are being compromised by driver-only operation, all for the sake of private profit.  ASLEF explains the pressures of driving a train and the risks to passengers if drivers work alone.

Please show solidarity with ASLEF members at picket lines outside stations when Southern train drivers strike again on 10, 11, 13, 24, 25 and 27 January 2017 and support any future actions by both ASLEF and the RMT against driver-only operation. The LRC has stood many times with Southern guards who have been striking in defence of rail safety and to protect equality of access to train services since early 2016.  We fully support the RMT’s campaign the Keep the Guard on the Train.

RMT picket line outside Brighton station, 21 June 2016

We have all heard about Southern management’s bullying and blackmail tactics, as well as its infamous spin machine which tries to blame rail workers for the rail privateer’s failings.  A favourite management excuse is cancelling trains for lack of crew, when drivers and guards are waiting to work.  All rail workers deserve our support in these disputes.  Lobby your MP demanding that the Government remove the Southern franchise from failed private train operator GTR and take it back under Department for Transport management by directly operated trains. 

Rail workers and unions stand united together, putting people before profit

In the short term handing the franchise to Transport for London could bring some improvements but, ultimately, the UK’s railways must be returned to public ownership to be run in the interests of people and environment, and not for the short term goals of private profit, shareholders’ dividends and management bonuses.  Thankfully Labour’s Leader Jeremy Corbyn is committed to a People’s Railway policy.  So we can be sure that, with Jeremy at the helm, the next Labour Government will carry out the Party’s longstanding and popular policy to rebuild Britain’s rail network by returning it to public ownership, as part of a policy to transform public transport into an integrated, green, efficient and affordable system.