RMT has launched a campaign to eliminate outsourcing on UK railways, citing racial disparity, poor conditions, and misused public funds in a new union-backed report. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

RMT has launched a campaign to eliminate outsourcing on UK railways, citing racial disparity, poor conditions, and misused public funds in a new union-backed report.
Source, photo: www.rmt.org.uk

The report, How Outsourcing Embeds Systemic Racism on the Railway, shows that most outsourced cleaners and caterers are from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) backgrounds, yet they face lower pay, no pensions, and no career growth.

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Across the UK, 58% of outsourced service workers are BME, although BME staff make up only 25% of directly hired rail employees. In London and the South East, that gap widens—up to 80% of outsourced cleaners are BME, compared to 40% of regular train and station staff.

Many outsourced staff feel trapped in limited roles. While 82% wish to build a career at Great British Railways, 77% have never discussed promotions. Another 68% report receiving no real training over the past three years.

Despite unequal terms, 83% of these workers carry out tasks like fault reporting and customer support, duties typically reserved for permanent staff. The same number believe passengers would benefit more from in-house service provision.

RMT Highlights Workforce Inequality and Lost Public Value

The union claims that outsourcing creates a two-tier system, stripping basic rights such as sick leave, pensions, and job security from subcontracted employees. This allows private firms to boost shareholder profits with minimal accountability.

RMT insists that bringing these workers in-house would raise standards for passengers and restore fairness in the workplace. They call on Labour to fulfill its insourcing pledge and eliminate exploitative contracts.

RMT to Hold Government Accountable on Insourcing Promises

RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey criticized outsourcing as exploitative and inefficient. He noted that BME workers are disproportionately affected, stuck in “second-class employment” with no future prospects.

“Executives profit from public money while workers struggle,” he said. “We’ll keep fighting until every outsourced role is brought in-house with equal rights and protections.”

Dempsey warned that Labour must deliver on its promise of the largest insourcing wave in a generation—or face pressure from the union and its allies.

Source, photo: www.rmt.org.uk

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