To keep a safety competent Guard on every train

WHY WE ARE STRIKINGON FIRST GREAT WESTERN

www.rmt.org.uk

To keep safety critical station Despatch staff

To keep buffet car facilities on every train

To retain in-house maintenance of rolling stock

To prevent job losses

At the end of May RMT entered intodispute with First Great Westernover the introduction of SuperExpress Trains on their franchise.We made it clear that we wereseeking the following assurancesfrom management to resolve thismatter:

To keep a safety competent Guard on every train.

To keep safety critical station Despatch staff.

To keep buffet car facilities on every train.

To ensure that the maintenance of new rolling stock remains in-house.

No job losses.

These issues have been raisedwith the company by unionrepresentatives on numerousoccasions, however no satisfactorysolutions have been proposed bymanagement to resolve thissituation.

As a result RMT balloted allFirst Great Western members forstrike action and industrial actionshort of a strike. The result was anoverwhelming mandate for strikeaction.

RMT has made every effort

to secure a series of very basicassurances from FGW over jobs,services and safety as a result ofthe introduction of the new Hitachifleet and they have simply ignoredus.

It is ludicrous that EastCoast, who are introducing thesame trains, have given RMT theassurances we are seeking butFGW have ignored us and are goingahead with the ripping out ofbuffet cars and threatening safety-critical station and train staffpurely to maximise the profits fromnew trains bought for them by theBritish taxpayer.

RMT has mobilised a publiccampaign to expose this shabbyand profiteering treatment of bothpassengers and staff alike by acompany that already has one ofthe worst reputations in theindustry for milking the rotten railprivatisation racket for everypenny they can.

RMT remains available fortalks and we expect the companyto now take this dispute, and theissues at the heart of it, seriously.

Thankyou for taking thetime to read this leaflet. Pleasesupport us in our fight for a decentrailway for passengers and staff.

THE FACTS BEHIND OUR DISPUTE