RAIL workers are calling for fair treatment after it was revealed that not all staff receive the same support following fatal incidents on the job.  

At the RMT’s AGM in Glasgow, delegates said that while train drivers get immediate help — such as being replaced and supported by a manager — other staff, such as train crew and shunters, are often left to cope alone, sometimes only receiving a quick phone call.

This two-tier approach was slammed on the conference floor by delegates who shared moving and sometimes difficult stories about their experiences.

Reflecting on consoling a member who had witnessed a fatality, Liverpool No5 branch delegate Billy Kimm said: "I meet members who have been affected — and I mean affected.  

“I won’t go into details, but it can destroy people’s confidence.”

He blasted train companies who failed to properly look after staff: “They only see you as a tool, a number and they don't care about you,” he said. 

Martin McCleary from Berwick rail branch said: “There is often no face-to-face support [from the companies].

“This is not about undermining the drivers as it is essential they get support.

“But what we are seeing now is a two-tier system which looks after drivers but not onboard crew. It is care for one grade and lip service for another.”

Mandy Evans, from Swansea No1 branch, poured scorn on railway companies’ lack of care for staff, adding: “It is about how incidents like this affect us emotionally.

“Where is the railway family? Chain of care? They don’t even know what that is.”