Emergency Motion 2
Cuts to Railway Infrastructure Jobs and Services in Scotland
“That this Congress is appalled that on 21st March 2024, Rail engineering company Babcock Rail announced the compulsory redundancies of skilled rail infrastructure workers.
‘‘The job losses are a direct result of a reduction of work that has come about due to Network Rail having its funding cut by the Scottish government and Westminster government over the next five years.
‘‘Congress is deeply concerned that this could be the first of a number of cuts due to the funding shortfall. These cuts will impact on the railway’s reliability and resilience, particularly when there are increasing threats to the railway infrastructure from adverse weather conditions related to climate change.
‘‘Congress is also concerned that the cuts will compound safety risks that are already present, arising from Network Rail’s cuts to rail infrastructure safety maintenance in Scotland.
‘‘Congress believes the cuts are not just due to a funding shortfall. They are also due to fragmentation, privatisation, short termism and the lack of a coherent strategic planning which has plagued the railway for many years. This has resulted in redundancies or threats of redundancies to skilled workers in the railway supply chain, despite those skills and improved rail infrastructure being desperately needed to improve the safety and reliability of the railways.
‘‘Congress therefore agrees to urgently lobby the Scottish Government and MSPs in support of the RMT’s campaign to oppose these and future job cuts and also for the Scottish Government to convene an urgent summit to discuss how rail infrastructure jobs and services can be protected and improved, including in the rail industry supply chain.”
Mover: National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers
RSS