£90BN DIVIDENDS FROM UK RAILS update 19 August, 2020

Update 19 August, 2020

Despite CV19 pandemic, economic down to recession, new CV19 in winter suspected,  Austerity, NHS is being changed to Insurance system, also big job losses expected - the Tory Government also increase the Rail Fare again in January2021. LUNACY!

Update 25 July, 2020 - It looks like this is the last info on fat cats pocketing £ms and £blns of Dividends. Tory's Gov seems to have closed down under T May and more so under Johnson.

But its nevertheless scandalous even if they cover it up.

Update 15 August, 2017 --
Rail fares will be increased by 3.6 per cent - the highest increase since 2011despite  already £90bn dividends. ???

What is it about the Tories who fill Elites and Foreign companies’ pockets with billions of pounds while trample the poor and disabled to death?

This newly revealed scandal of Foreign owners earning £90billions dividends from UK rail is the latest but not the only one. Viewing this fact, it is no wonder why the 'Elite' prefers privatisation. They never get enough!

The consumers already pushed to the limit of facing high railway tickets have now another 10 per cent increase which brings the prices to the highest in Europe.  It had been going on for decades while the Government keeps cutting and cutting benefits; letting NHS and schools go to hell just to line them up for another privatisation.

How the Tories won in the GT2015 is a good question? After all they done to the general public and disabled. It is hard to believe that the majority who struggle to survive and being promised another £12billion Welfare cut plus £18billion council’s cut; the public would vote them in again.

The Italian State rail operator Trenitalia were given the franchise to the c2c train yesterday. Standard Investigation revealed together with German, French and Dutch states they are pocketing a massive £90billion a year dividend while commuters find it hard to cope with the highest prices in Europe.

Govia, owner of the nightmarish service of Southern Rail, as well as London Midlands and Southeastern received £65million from the UK rail operators and almost £23million from that went to the French investor Keolis which majority owned by state rail firm SNCF.

Abello, owned by Holland’s state railway operator pocketed £36million from Anglia  and Scotland franchises between 2014-15.

Germany stated-owned Arriva which owns the London Overground, Chiltern and Cross Country lines received nearly £31million for the same period.

Fenchurch Street c2c service to Essex sold by Britain’s National Express to Trenitalia last month at £72million.

State Investors from Hong Kong have stakes in Crossrail.

Qatar partly owns Heathrow Express shows also interest in UK rail.

Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald is fuming about the “bizarre structure of our system that means the only nation state on the planet that can’t be involved in running British railways is our own.”

According to the train union Aslef, when the East Coast was in public hands it returned £1billion to the Treasury plus the prices were not half as high as todays.

What is it about the Tories constantly franchising and contracting out services? It must make some sense in their books but not in ours.

Railways are not the only service, there are hundreds of contractors in the NHS, prisons, Ambulance, fire service and none of them give a full and satisfactory service. The fact is that contractors are only after profit and cut staff to the minimum, plus their wages.

By now the railways are in a shocking state, NHS and schools are in biggest financial crises and in April there will be another £12billion Welfare cut and £18billion council cut. Energy suppliers increase their tariffs by 10 per cent an no objection or stopping from PM May.

Up to 2012 there were 2,500 suicides of disabled people and the latest figure had not been published.  40,000 people died of hyperthermia in winter 2015/6.

In the last seven years there were scandals constantly hitting newspapers’ headlines but the government just turns a blind eye to it and even denies it.

So, where is the sense of the government to franchise or contracting it all out, receiving a shoddy service for high prices and letting the money go to other countries while it is desperately needed here?

GAS PERKS REFUSED AND ELECTRICITY PRICE INCREASES

Update 15 August, 2020 -- 8 years on nothing has improved on the contrary its gone worst. After Cameron came May and now Johnson. By now 130,000 people, mostly OAP, have died of hyperthermia; 60,000 of CV19 because Johnson did not react and put necessary measures in straightaway; now we facing massive job losses, home evictions and recession. Johnson put the final nail into the coffin.

UPDATE 13 OCTOBER 2012  --  Npower will follow suits with 8.8 per cent and now the customers have no choice but pay and pay. This is nothing but racketeering. All big energy suppliers had bit profits last year and therefore there was no need for those massive increase.  Chancellor George Osborne made a big noise and show attacking the energy suppliers but other than that the government does nothing against them.  Also what is Ofgem getting paid for? They never do any

thing.

To crown it all it would be no surprise if the government cuts the winter fuel supplements now.

IS THAT WHAT DAVID CAMERON CALLS TO CREATE AN ASPIRATION NATION ?????

UPDATE 12 OCTOBER 2012 -- I only just stopped writing and there come the news of an increase of six or seven per cent in crease on gas.  Last year only it was increase by 10 per cent despite David Cameron had a meeting with the gas and electricity board promising he would make them hold the price. This government cannot cut wages, benefits and let the gas, electricity, food and petrol prices spiral sky high. How do they think people cope with and where they get the money from to pay for it all?

Next thing we read about the huge profits they made and bonuses they paid to their fat cats. 

British Gas gives staff a £200 perk on their bill. The whole top management has decided to turn down the perk and hope their top rivals will do the same. Although it wont’ be missed with an income of £1.3million a year for the chief executive Mr Sam Laidlow, his finance chief Nick Luff and British Gas managing director Phil Bently, their salaries are unknown but surely not far behind.

They feel like it is not necessary to receive this perk at the time of austerity. Although it is a drop in the ocean for the Centrica’s board but nevertheless a nice gesture. The rest of staff is still receiving their perk. The insiders pointing out it would still give the wrong impression.

Southern Electricity on the other hand will increase their prices from 15 October 2012 by 10 per cent. Furthermore, Ian Marchant refused to give up his staff discount in spite of receiving a salary of £1.2million last year. His bill will be cut by 12 per cent in spite of his huge salary; the customers will have to face another huge electricity price rise.

Mr Marchant commented that he thinks to donate his perk back to the company wouldn’t be very sensible.

Npower gives the staff £100 vouchers but wouldn’t comment whether the board members would take it this year.

E.ON stated that their chief executive Tony Cocker does not take the staff reward.

Scottish Power does not give their staff a discount scheme.

EDF Energy gives their staff £48 off their bills but couldn’t say if their chief executive took it.

Admirable as the refusal of the perks is but it is only a small contribution towards the company. The real impact is the bonuses for the top management and some of the staff which really adds on. Surely with around one million of pound a year salary it would be well paid for their work. There is no need for bonuses on top of it especially at hard times as they are at the moment. David Cameron always preaches austerity but he never whispers to cut the bonuses or stops them because most of them are his friends who donate to the Conservative Part which soon be rivalling with Fort Knox.

This austerity the ordinary people imposed by David Cameron and his Conservative Party is all wrong while the fat cats getting millions of salaries and bonuses. Again he does nothing to stop the increase of electricity. People already had problems to pay the bills and now a increase of 10 per cent will hit them hard and many will not be able to pay it. There is no need to aim for greater profits apart from the bosses get more bonus and the shareholders more dividends.