Lancaster unions and Labour Party members join forces to support rail strikers

Members of Lancaster Labour Party, Lancaster and Morecambe National Education Union, Lancaster and Morecambe Trades Council, the Tenants and Community Union (Lancaster and Morecambe), Unite and members of the public stood with members of the RMT (National Union of Railway, Maritime and Transport).

Ruth Colbridge, chair of Lancaster Labour Party, said: "It's important that workers stand together. We've seen so much smoke and mirrors from the government this week, telling us that nurses deserve a payrise, but railway workers don't. The honest truth is that when the Tories had the opportunity to give nurses a much needed nine per cent increase, they gave them 1.5 per cent."

Anna Oakes-Monger of the local Tenants and Community Union added: "With the cost of energy rising by around 50 per cent, rents being hiked and the cost of a weekly shop skyrocketing, while rich shareholders pocket record profits, ALL the keyworkers who kept the society running throughout the pandemic deserve a payrise."

The RMT represents railway workers (excluding drivers who are represented by ASLEF) from cleaners to maintenance staff, who are asking for no compulsory redundancies, wages to be protected against the cost of living crisis, and negotiations and agreement on jobs and conditions.

Anyone wishing to show their support can go to Carnforth Depot on the remaining strike days or donate to the RMT hardship fund.

Local groups are also planning to leaflet local rail stations on non-strike days to let travellers know the demands the strikers are making.