Rail union RMT is escalating its campaign against the outsourcing of rail jobs, targeting Northern with a day of action in Manchester on Wednesday 19 November.

It follows last month’s 48-hour walkout by staff employed by contractor Carlisle Support Services, who work on Northern’s revenue protection and gateline operations. The union says those employees have been subjected to bullying and harassment by managers and that the outsourced model leaves them without fair pay, workplace protections or sick pay.

The RMT is calling for the team to be brought in-house by the publicly owned operator, arguing that the upcoming Great British Railways reforms present the ideal moment to end outsourced rail contracts altogether.

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “Northern is a publicly owned company. There is no excuse for continuing with a broken outsourcing model that bullies workers and drives down pay, conditions and offers no company sick pay. Our members on the Carlisle contract have shown tenacity in standing up to intimidation. They deserve to be treated with dignity and employed directly by Northern. With Great British Railways on the way, the Government has a responsibility to ensure all outsourced rail workers are brought in-house as part of an integrated, publicly owned system.”

Image: RMT