THE TORIES are set to sell off the profitable parts of publically owned industry and massacre the rest. High on their list is the national rail network.
National of CHRIS GOUGH, explains.
In 1981 the British Rail Board requested urgent investment an review. Thatcher's answer was the Serpell Inquiry.
The terms of reference ruled out plan for transport and looked only at the finances of the in-s dust he tinal Serpell repori profitability and reduced public expenditure. It rejects subsidy, along with the social, énvironmental. energy case for rail. Quality service and safety are ignored.
Serpell's options for the network range from a čut 10 1630 miles, with a cut 380 miles, with 27,000 job loss.
Wales, west of Cardiff and Scotland, north Edinburgh, be without a rail service.
Buses are promoted as a substitute. Profitable commuter ames will besold off. The London Southend. Brighton Gatwick services have been mentioned so tar.
Two banks fuerchant and an insurance companv have put in claims to take the London OVC1 Southend line, which BR's most profitable per mile. earns £20 million a year and carries day, a useful subsidy for rural SVICCS which are socially essential but don't bring in the cash.
Serpell being brought in through the back door already. British Rail are using arguments about efficient manageRailwaymen member, ment structures to set subsidiary companies like Sealink This SICP towards eventual sale.
Talks are going ahead for food service Travellers Fare to drop the brush kal logo, win ine excuse that this gives the service a bad name.
Other subsidiaries like the National Freight Com pany, British Transport Hotels and BT Docks have already passed the private sector and BR rolling stock, DOIn building and maintenance, could go the same way if there is no fightback.
Serpell recommends selling British Rail Engineering Limited ine engineering worksnops (BREL). In preparation TOT hive ott. the BRel workforce is being slimmed down. with the closure of Temple Mills in London and Horwich in Lancashire by the end of 1983 and the closure of Shildon near following year.
recent negotiations over BREL closures, the managing director laid out the future, 'An overriding OHHOSODIV of BREL their aim to become a free stanang coliDally responsible for their own financial stability on the same lines as any commercial company.
speech floated the idea of a Lonauthority incorporating profitable commuter lines This points to turner hive London Transport. off.
Already London's Evening Standard announced on 5 July that longer distance bus routes in outlying suburbs are on offer to private operators.
assault on the public transport system and union organisation, as well as tobs and services.
The Virani and Seaco Group, who bought 13 of the BTH hotels, intends to run each hotel as an individual unit, with wages and conditions varying according to the profitability MCC to The British Rail Board want to force through driver only operation on the Kings Cross 1o of each hotel. This breaks the unity of the union and attacks basic conditions.
The future of station and line closures. job loss, manning reductions, high fares, poor serdeals yed produce or scrapping electrification.
In the past, the NUR has accepted productivity deals in return for false hopes that this will prevent closure and sell off. But at this year's conference, the NUR called for action against attempts privalise BAcL iniroduce Serpell.
ne cambas workshop closure could be VUl tirs Dallit acallls Nationally coordinated industrial action must organised against the assault on the rail industry.
The Tories are attacking every public sector industry in an attempt smash the collective EXISTING NETWORK Bedford strength of the unions. We must unite not get picked off one by one Our brothers sisters in British Telecom have already taken industrial action against privatisation and we need to do the same.
The Triple Alliance of rail, steel and coal unions needs to be transformed with removal of guards from a talk shop with the Tories fighting alliance against redundancies, closures Policies for an tegrated transport system based on need not profit, should also be discussed, with the . bullding a campaign 1o. renationalisation backing the industrial, extra-parliamentary action needed IO defend the unions and public services.
NETWORK AFTER SERPELL