'Cost of living Budget' must also deliver on rail – TSSA 

Labour affiliated rail union TSSA has given a broad welcome to measures unveiled in the Budget aimed at tackling the cost of living crisis being felt across the country.  

However, the union has also called on the Chancellor and Prime Minister to 'grasp the nettle' in overturning neoliberalism, growing the economy and investing in the railways. 

Reacting shortly after John Healey's remarks in the Commons, TSSA General Secretary, Maryam Eslamdoust said: "We welcome many of the measures outlined in the Budget, especially those designed to reduce the escalating cost of living.  

"TSSA supports the overall direction of travel being taken by John Healey and Andy Burnham in defending living standards in the face of rising inflation. However, these must be accompanied by a clear plan for long-term economic growth and sustained investment in our railways. This is important, not least in the light of train derailments at Lewes, Wickford and most recently at Barking. 

"A government which is seeking to overturn decades of failed neoliberalism must grasp the nettle and do so by restructuring the economy so that the wealth this country produces is shared by everyone, not just the few at the top. 

"That also means protecting jobs and investing in public ownership, including on the rail network as we move into the era of Great British Railways."