RMT pledges action against assaults in national campaign day

Transport union the RMT will hold a national day of action to tackle the growing threat of assaults across the rail, bus, metro and ferry sectors on 28 April.

The union is stepping up its Action Against Assaults campaign in a bid to:

• Improve the day to day working lives of members.
• Create a safer environment for passengers.
• Ensure employers and the governments in the UK take their responsibilities seriously.

RMT wants to see an end to lone working and low staffing levels. It wants increased funding for and increased presence of the British Transport Police. And, ahead of the devolved elections, it’s aiming to put pressure on politicians in Scotland and Wales.

The union is seeking commitments from Scottish political parties for a bespoke offence of assaulting a transport worker to become law in the next Scottish parliament.

Activities such as leafleting of rail stations, ports and bus depots will take place across the country on Tuesday 28 April. This coincides with International Workers Memorial Day.

Ahead of the day of action, RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said:

This campaign is one of the most important the union has ever undertaken and we require significant action to improve the day to day lives of our members who fear being assaulted at work.

Public transport must be a space where passengers feel welcome and our members feel safe.

That needs enforcement both legally and through proper resourcing of authorities like the British Transport Police with safe staffing levels on the transport network.

Only this Easter Bank Holiday, I have had reports of our members being seriously assaulted, all for just doing their jobs professionally and being of significant help to passengers during extremely busy travel environments.

Politicians and employers have responsibility for ensuring our members safety and creating a decent environment for passenger travel.

This day of action will provide the springboard for further political and industrial campaigning until we reach an acceptable situation for our members.

Featured image via the RMT