EC Meeting July 2017

2. This BGCM believes that every child should be given the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, as was the aspiration of the National Plan for Music Education, and condemns all cuts to music education. The GFTU applauds efforts by instrumental teachers and the MU to form cooperatives and pledges to support this work.

ACTION

Motion 11 Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association

Public Ownership of Britain’s railways

1. This Conference opposes the continued privatisation of Britain’s railways which have allowed the private sector to extract significant profits at the expense of tax payers and passengers whilst threatening the jobs of workers. 2. Information published by the ORR shows that for the year 2015-16, net government support to the rail industry totalled £4.8 billion (excluding Network Rail loans) and represents double the level recorded (in real terms) of that paid in the last days of British Rail. Since privatisation, this situation has existed and taking advantage of the subsidy, firms like Virgin Trains West Coast that claim to be private sector innovators are guaranteed profits. In 2015-16 alone, Virgin West Coast made £67 million in pre-tax profits after receiving a net subsidy of £285 million, building on £518.8 million net profit extracted between 1997 and 2012. 3. At the same time, after allowing for inflation, rail fares have increased by 25% in real terms since 1995 whilst government policy is to increasingly push the cost of the railways onto the passenger. 4. As part of the government’s neo liberal political dogma, they are also waging a war on staff and their unions. Nowhere more so has this been seen than in Southern where trade unions have had to defend their right to strike in the Supreme Court, whilst DfT dictat and incompetence has now led to a legal challenge from commuters.

8