OPERATIONAL SAFETY ROLE OF THE TRAIN GUARD

Early day motion 938, tabled 24 March 2003 by John McDonnell (Labour). Signed by 33 members.

That this House welcomes the decision of eight train operating companies to reach agreements with the National Union of Rail Maritime and Transport Workers that re-introduced the operational safety role of the guard on to their train services; is disappointed that the other private train operating companies have decided to ignore these negotiated settlements and to renege on their earlier commitments to abide by an independent risk assessment that recommended the restoration of elements of the guard's safety role previously removed from the railway rulebook; notes that the essential safety role of the guard was demonstrated at the Southall and Paddington rail crashes; further believes that, faced with management intransigence, the RMT has been left with no option other than to ballot their members for industrial action; and calls on the nine train operating companies faced with that action to enter into negotiations with the RMT to secure agreements that enshrine the guard's operational safety role into the railway rule book along the lines of those settlements already reached between the RMT and GNER, Island Line, Anglia Railways, Chiltern Railways, Hull Trains, First Great Western, First Great Eastern and First North Western.

Signatures by party: Labour 27, Labour/Co-operative 3, Plaid Cymru 2, Liberal Democrat 1.