A survey of 89 TSSA trade union representatives included most of the UK’s Train Operating Companies (24 reps), Network Rail (35 reps) and TfL (12 reps). It found that more than half (55.5 per cent) of workplace representatives have experienced violence or abuse on the job, often repeatedly. Incidents reported include verbal and racial abuse, spitting, physical assaults, threats involving weapons, harassment and, in some cases, sexual assault.
These reps, who represent workers in offices, depots and stations, describe frontline staff as increasingly exposed to aggression from passengers and the public. Others pointed to risks faced even before reaching work, including walking along poorly lit routes and encountering abuse at work sites.
TSSA General Secretary, Maryam Eslamdoust gave the example of TSSA member Belly Mujinga who in spring 2020 was spat at by a passenger carrying covid and later died after contracting the virus. She said: “We must remember her and do better as an industry to protect transport workers.
“Letโs be honest, this is getting completely out of control. Our members are being punched, spat at and abused just for doing their jobs. I am seeing women being repeatedly hit for trying to stop fare dodging on my own doorstep in Liverpool Street station. No one should have to put up with that, not for a second.
โThisย isnโtย happening in a vacuum. People are under huge pressure, the cost of living is biting, wages are not covering the basics, and access to mental health support has been hollowed out. But transport workers are the ones getting it in the neck and that is not acceptable.
โAnd too often, the people responsible are getting away with it. That is not good enough. The British Transport Police need proper resources so they can do their job.
โEmployers also need to step up especially after the stabbing on LNER. Posters, CCTV and the odd campaign will not cut it anymore. We need properly staffed stations and trains, an end to lone working, and real protection for staff on the frontline.ย No one should go to work worrying they will be assaulted. It is horrendous and itย has toย stop.โ
British Transport Police (BTP) meanwhile are hailing the first man being sentenced in England and Wales under new sex-based harassment legislation; Section 4B of the Public Order Act 1986; as part of wider VAWG (violence against women and girls) agenda work. For more details visit the BTP website.
Railway Behaviour Notices
A new kind of order banning repeat offenders from stations are being rolled out across the railways this summer: Railway Behaviour Notices. Train operators or BTP can issue them; they remove a personโs permission to enter a specific station or station(s) for six to 12 months. Early trials show a clear reduction in repeat offending, according to the official railways body the Rail Delivery Group.
Jacqueline Starr, Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Rail Delivery Group, said:โRailway Behaviour Notices help create immediatelyย safer conditions for customers and frontline colleagues by banning individuals from the network who have shown they cannot use the railway responsibly.
โIn this shared public space, the vast majority of passengers do behave responsibly, and this is about protecting their right, and the right of staff, to travel and work in safety. Crucially, they help stop harmful behaviour early, preventing situations from escalating to the point of formal criminal proceedings.
โThis is a major moment for the railway.ย Early trials have already shown a significant reduction in repeat incidents,ย giving passengers and rail staff a safer environment and better working conditions for frontline staff. Because whether you work for or travel via rail, there is no place for crime or abuse on our network.โ
