The rail union RMT say that the contractor Thales is to cut 80 member of staff from its workforce, adding to ‘hundreds of jobs already slashed from the tracks.’
RMT say this makes a ‘mockery of Government claims to be investing in rail infrastructure.’
The RMT say the reasons for Thales’ job cuts are ‘a number of business challenges’ and a cut back in orders. The redundancies are expected to take effect in June this year.
The company has identified 220 members of staff who are at risk across the country taking in depots at Waterloo, Cheadle, Crawley, York, Ashford, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:
“This latest hammer blow to the UK rail industry, adding to hundreds of jobs that have already been lost, makes a mockery of the Government’s claims to be investing in our railways. These are skilled workers who face the prospect of being dumped on the dole because of the shambolic and disjointed management of the UK’s rail infrastructure.
“These cuts will mean that essential works at the heart of delivering a safe railway are shelved or scrapped with potentially dire consequences for the travelling public.”
