Rail union, RMT will hold a day of action against cuts to railway maintenance, infrastructure and renewals work on Thursday.

Network Rail is planning £1.2bn of cuts over the next 5 years to track and infrastructure renewals work, following the government decision to axe the public company’s budget.

If the cuts go ahead, there will be an increased risk to public safety, railway workers and overall efficiency of the service.

Rail infrastructure includes signalling, drainage, earthworks, level crossings and track – all of which are critical to the safe and reliable running of trains on the network.

Union activists are leafleting over 20 stations across the country on Thursday as part of RMT’s ‘Rail Cuts Cost Lives’ campaign, informing the public of the dangers posed by Network Rail’s plans. 

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Network Rail’s plans to cut over a billion pounds on railway renewals work jeopardizes safety for rail workers and passengers.

“Our railway infrastructure needs to be maintained and improved which can only happen by increasing investment, not cuts.

“We’ve already had reports of cracked rails, problems with drainage and recent extreme weather events which in 2020 led to the Carmont rail disaster.

“We cannot afford to allow the railway to be less safe which is why we will be campaigning to reverse these cuts throughout the country on Thursday and in the coming weeks and months ahead.”

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SEAFARERS UNION RMT remembers the 44 victims of the MV Derbyshire tragedy on the 43rd anniversary of the sinking of the UK registered Bulk Carrier in the South China Sea on 9 September 1980 with the loss of all hands, including two wives of crew members.

MV Derbyshire is the biggest British registered merchant ship ever to have been lost at sea.

Built in 1976, it was an oil/bulk/ore (OBO) carrier.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said:

“RMT pays tribute to the forty-two seafarers and two passengers who lost their lives when the MV Derbyshire was overwhelmed by Typhoon Orchid south of Japan on this day in 1980. Members of the National Union of Seaman, many from the Derbyshire’s home city of Liverpool were amongst those lost and this remains the largest UK flagged ship lost during peacetime.

“43 years on it is important that we continue to remember those who died on the MV Derbyshire and support the friends and families of those who lost their lives.

“Our condolences go out to the families and we continue to support the MV Derbyshire Families Association. The trade union funded search for the Derbyshire, conducted in 1994, led to a series of safety improvements in the international shipping industry and, crucially, absolved the crew from unjust blame for the cause of this tragedy.

“Shockingly, due to the Deregulation Act 2015 introduced by the Conservative led Government, it is now almost impossible to re-open investigations into maritime accidents like the Derbyshire. This insult to the memories of those lost on the Derbyshire must be reversed.”

“This was a shocking tragedy that serves as yet another reminder of the constant battle for maritime safety. “

Ends.



Notes for editors


1. The Derbyshire was a modern commercial vessel (built 1976), fully equipped and well-managed ore-bulk-oil (OBO) combination carrier, en route to Japan from Canada with a cargo of iron ore. At over 91,000 gross tonnage the Derbyshire remains the largest UK registered ship to have been lost at sea.

2. All on board, 42 crew and two passengers (wives of crew members), lost their lives. The crew and passengers were all UK nationals, many from the Derbyshire’s home port of Liverpool. Many were members of the National Union of Seaman.

3. RMT supports the MV Derbyshire Families Association.

4. In the period when the Derbyshire was lost and before the lessons were learnt from the finding of the Derbyshire, bulk carrier class vessels had a poor safety record. At the time, bulk carriers only accounted for 7% of the world fleet but accounted for 57% of lost ships. In the 22 years between 1975 and 1997, 378 bulk carriers were lost (including the Derbyshire) with the loss of over 1,300 seafarers’ lives.

5. A subsea search for the Derbyshire, funded by RMT, Nautilus and the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), was conducted in the Pacific Ocean in May 1994 with the wreck of the Derbyshire discovered on the last day of the search, lying on the seabed at 4,200m.

6. The UK Government consistently refused to re-open the initial investigation into the causes of the loss of the Derbyshire and it was only a union-funded search for the vessel in the 1990s, combined with the Duty in the 1995 Act (introduced by the Conservative Government of the day) that established the necessary evidence and the legal obligation on Government to re-open the investigation.

7. The subsequent investigation not only absolved the crew from any blame for the loss of the vessel but led to significant improvements in the safe operation of bulk carrier class ships, as well as vital developments in the understanding of the mechanics of destructive waves generated under typhoon conditions.

8. As a result of the Derbyshire investigation being re-opened, 22 recommendations for improving shipping safety were made by the UK Government between 1998 and 2001, all of which have been subsequently adopted by the International Maritime Organisation.

9. The Deregulation Act 2015 abolished the duty in the Merchant Shipping Act on the Transport Secretary to order re-hearing of marine accident investigations in light of new evidence. This power was exercised in 1998 to re-open the investigation into the MV Derbyshire tragedy in 1980, after nearly 20 years of campaigning by families and trade unions, including NUS, RMT, Nautilus and ITF. The abolition was opposed by the maritime unions and by the Parliamentary Labour Party during the passage of legislation but the Government rejected amendments that would have prevented this.

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RAIL UNION RMT calls for an end to continual cuts to rail maintenance and renewals after Network Rail was fined £6.7 million at the High Court in Aberdeen today (Friday, September 8) for safety failings which led to the Carmont disaster.

The company in charge of rail infrastructure in Britain admitted to health and safety failings over the rail crash at Carmont near Stonehaven three years ago which claimed three lives.

A Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report concerning the train derailment caused by poor drainage work made 20 recommendations to improve rail safety which have been largely ignored. 

Network Rail initially agreed to create drainage teams to deal with issues that caused the derailment but it has since abandoned the plans claiming that it does not have to do it. 

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that although NR had admitted guilt over failings in construction, inspection and maintenance of drainage assets it was still planning widespread cuts to maintenance and renewals.

“The company has already effectively ignored most of the recommendations made by the RAIB and now it is cutting back on maintenance, renewals and drainage work.

“Instead of fining the publicly-funded body, Network Rail should be forced to halt the culture of continual cutbacks which will are inevitably leading to a more dangerous railway,” he said. 

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