Posted 28th April 2009 | 2 Comments

Rail unions demand freeze on job cuts and shareholder dividends

Geoff Hoon

BRITAIN’S three main rail unions are meeting Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon on 28 April to demand a halt to job cuts and payments of dividends to shareholders of train operating companies.

The Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) and Aslef, the train drivers’ union, will warn that jobs and services were being cut at an "alarming" rate by rail firms across the country.

Bob Crow, RMT General Secretary, said today: “While the train operators are jacking up fares by as much as 11 per cent, thousands of rail worker jobs are on the line and up to a third of this year’s essential renewals programme is being deferred.

“The companies are protecting their profits while those who run the services and who keep the tracks safe face the prospect of being dumped on the dole queue.”

He added: “It is critical for the future of the rail industry that the government intervene now to stop the jobs massacre and to call to account the private companies who have bled billions in profits and subsidies out of the British taxpayer.”

Friday, 1 May, is International Labour Day and RMT members at East Midlands Trains are taking take industrial action other 200 threatened job losses.

EMT says it expects o run a near-normal service on their 'mainline' routes between London St Pancras and Nottingham / Derby / Sheffield.  But the company said it expects services on ‘local’ route to be reduced, or replaced by buses.


Reader Comments:

Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.

  • Trevor Snow, Birmingham, UK

    As a frequent rail user, I would like to see the TOCs and others make large staffing cuts and use the cost savings to reduce ticket prices. Everytime I use the railway I see redundant staff at most stations I visit. For example, I can never understand why several platform attendants are needed to see off a train when the train's guard can do the job. The majority of railways stations are presently overstaffed in my opinion.

    Many other European countries maintain far lower staffing levels than we do whilst running similar service levels. If we want to get people using the railways, we need to reduce ticket prices, it is the primary factor stopping people using trains, reducing staffing levels is the only way to acheive this.

  • leslie burge, leicester, england

    It's what you always get when you allow private investment.
    They want their pound of flesh.