People of Eastbourne urged to support striking rail workers

The RMT held three days of strike action in late June and tens of thousands of RMT union members working for Network Rail and 14 operating companies are holding another walkout tomorrow (Wednesday July 27).

The dispute is over pay, working conditions and potential job losses.

Eastbourne Trades Council is urging the people of Eastbourne to support the rail strikes saying the proposed cuts to maintenance and to maintenance workers and safety staff ‘pose a serious threat to the lives of the town’s commuters’ and it also believes everyone deserves an inflation-proofed pay rise.

The organisation will be supporting the RMT picket line outside the railway station from 4am-12pm on Wednesday.

ETC has in recent months shown solidarity with local refuse collectors in the GMB union and also supports low-paid RMT Churchill cleaners in dispute across the local train network.

It also expects to see more industrial action over the coming months with CWU members across the BT Group planning to strike, while postal workers have also voted to take action over pay.

Teachers and civil servants are expected to ballot later this year, while university lecturers and barristers have also taken action.

Keith Crane, Eastbourne Trades Council Chair and Julie Hart Eastbourne Trades Council vice chair, said in a joint statement: “We urge the people of Eastbourne to recognise the justice behind these necessary battles over pay and jobs and to support strikes locally.

"We applaud union leaders such as Sharon Graham and Mick Lynch when they warn that a ‘Summer of discontent’ will be the fault of profiteering bosses (and their failure to negotiate a sensible settlement).

"Too many workers rely on Universal Credit and foodbanks to get by while profits continue to be protected. Wage increases are not driving inflation but high levels of inflation threaten to further impoverish workers unless we unite in solidarity and strike if we have to, and say: ‘Enough! We deserve better’.”

Operator Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which runs Southern and Thameslink trains, will be running the same service plan as for the last strikes in June and warns there will be very few trains, with crowding expected, particularly on last trains, and possible delays.