Union to fight rail job cuts
Updated on 19 January 2009
A leading rail union will launch a campaign aimed at reversing plans by a train operator to cut hundreds of jobs.
The Rail Maritime and Transport union will ask passengers of National Express East Anglia to tell the company that the proposed 300 job losses were "unacceptable."
The union said the cuts would reduce passenger security, destroy award-winning catering facilities, reduce the help available to disabled passengers, make access to service information more difficult and lead to dirty trains - claims the company has denied.
Labour MP Ian Gibson (Norwich North), who has tabled a Commons motions condemning the cuts, and RMT general secretary Bob Crow will be among those handing out campaign postcards to commuters at London's Liverpool Street station.
Mr Crow said: "It is nothing short of scandalous that rail privateers like National Express that have been systematically draining huge sums of cash out of the industry as profits should now be seeking to cut staff and services.
"When National Express took over the franchise it promised to improve customer services and information, retain kitchen facilities on London-Norwich trains and put more staff on stations and trains, but it is doing the opposite.
"That is bad news for our members and for the passengers the company lied to, and if the government is serious about investing in jobs it should act to stop National Express destroying them simply to safeguard huge payouts to shareholders."
Dr Gibson said: "We are stepping up the pressure on National Express. Colleagues and I will be meeting with Geoff Hoon (Transport Secretary) to seek his view on the company breaking the franchise.
"What National Express is doing is unacceptable. It is contrary to the statement they made on services when they signed the franchise. We support the RMT and the workers and we will do all that is possible to stop these job cuts that will reduce service to save private profit."
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