Union chiefs have branded a threatened mass closure of railway ticket offices “a direct attack on the fibres that bind our society together.”
Mike Lynch, general secretary of rail union the RMT, and Dave Ward, head of the Communication Workers Union, issued a joint attack on proposals announced this week.
Train operators across England have launched a 21-day consultation that could see almost every station ticket office close within three years.
The two general secretaries likened what is proposed to that happening at Royal Mail, where it is claimed hundreds of parcel collection depots are having their opening hours slashed.
“Yet these are universal services that are part of the very structure of our democracy,” they said, warning the two hit to services “target those who need access to in-person services the most – the elderly, disabled and most vulnerable in our society.”
The pair went on: “These moves are also indicative of business leaders today – paid to break companies, not grow them.
“Anyone with ambition and foresight would see in-person services as a shop window to their business and a chance to sell products and increase sales. Today’s leaders get their bonuses off the backs of destroying once great companies, stripping them out and putting shareholder pay-outs ahead of anything else.”
Mr Lynch and Mr Ward had a dig at Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer for not doing more to back striking workers.
And they urged the public to back their campaigners; Royal Mail to protect customer service points and the RMT to save ticket offices.
The Rail Delivery Group, which represents operators, say the consultation is part of moves to “modernise” the network.
It claims ticket office staff will be moved from behind counters on to platforms and concourses to help passengers there.
'Ticket office closures target the elderly, disabled and most vulnerable in our society'
A joint article from RMT general secretary Mick Lynch and CWU general secretary Dave Ward
News of the decision to close almost every railway ticket office in England is not just an internal issue. It is a direct attack on the fibres that bind our society together including the values of democracy, equality and looking after every person.
The same scenario is playing out at Royal Mail, where hundreds of Parcel collection depots are having their opening hours slashed to the point where they are one small step from full closures. Yet these are universal services that are part of the very structure of our democracy.
We write jointly, as two trade union leaders to let you know these attacks are coordinated. They also target those who need access to in-person services the most – the elderly, disabled and most vulnerable in our society.
This eternal imposition of a failed Thatcherite ideology is tearing society apart. They want to atomise society and remove human interaction wherever possible in the relentless pursuit of profit. Those that rule us seem to want to cut community connections and any form of solidarity between people which they see as a threat.
These moves are also indicative of business leaders today – paid to break companies, not grow them. Anyone with ambition and foresight would see in-person services as a shop window to their business and a chance to sell products and increase sales. Today’s leaders get their bonuses off the backs of destroying once great companies, stripping them out and putting shareholder pay-outs ahead of anything else.
This is also an outright attack on organised labour. These employers and this government hate the fact that our members have stood up to be counted. They hate the fact that the majority of the public back postal and rail workers. They hate that we have fought for better pay, terms and conditions than many frontline workers enjoy. They want us beaten so it sends a message to other workers.
Today we ask, is this the type of country you want to live in? Is this the type of society you are happy with?
We cannot sit around and wait for a general election. A Labour government won’t answer all our prayers – we have seen this week, Sir Keir Starmer directly undermining the university worker’s dispute. But it’s not just about the Labour Party. The day that the trade union movement has to rely on politicians to bail us out is the day that we have failed to do our job.
We must build movements in communities, in meetings and online. And crucially we must build the trade union movement as a real independent working class movement which puts professional politicians of all stripes in all legislatures under heavy pressure to reverse this manifest decline in our society and deliver change in favour of working people.
You can use the tools below to support our individual campaigns. Follow the RMT and CWU social media channels and get involved in local campaign groups. Changing society is not a spectator sport. If we want a better country, then we are going to have to get out there and fight for it.
* RMT https://www.rmt.org.uk/campaigns/rail/save-ticket-offices/?preview=true
* CWU https://www.cwu.org/about-the-cwu/cwu-in-politics/write-to-your-mp/csp
