Unions challenge Network Rail over redundancy plan

Rail unions are confronting Network Rail over planned cuts to jobs being implemented without consultation.

RMT general secretary, Mick, Lynch said: "With the rail minister saying that passenger use is predicted to fully return to pre-Covid levels there is absolutely no need for the government or the employers to be pressing for service and job cuts across the train operators, TfL and Network Rail.”

"Instead the government should be promoting the railways and the growth of public transport use while at the same time securing green jobs in a new, low carbon economy. No employers or politicians should be using Covid as a smokescreen for cuts on the national railway and Transport for London."

The TSSA branded Network Rail's plans "chaotic and incompetent”.

Manuel Cortes, the union’s general secretary, said Network Rail had “written to their staff looking for volunteers to go – and talked to the press - without first identifying which parts of their business can afford to lose staff, or where they need to keep them”.

“Failure to agree criteria for acceptance/rejection of applications to the Special Voluntary Severance Scheme with our union means that their processes are ripe for discrimination. We’ve tried to negotiate these criteria in good faith, but Network Rail have refused to listen."

https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/rmt-calls-for-halt-to-planned-cuts

https://www.tssa.org.uk/en/whats-new/news/index.cfm/tssa-brands-network-rail-chaotic-and-incompetent-in-dispute-over-10-000-job-cuts