JOB CUTS AT SWT WILL BE RESISTED SAYS RMT

JOB CUTS at South West Trains are completely unjustified and will be resisted, Britain’s biggest rail union said today as the private franchise announced plans to slash 480 posts. Pledging to fight compulsory redundancies among its members, RMT pointed out that SWT and its parent, Stagecoach, had taken huge profits out of the industry and that Stagecoach had recently increased its shareholders’ dividend by 33.3 per cent. “These privateers are supposed to be running a public service, but as soon as their massive profits come under threat the first people to suffer are the people who actually do the work,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today. “There is no way that SWT can cut these jobs without affecting the quality of service that passengers receive and putting a greater burden on the workforce that remains. “SWT’s revenues and profits are up, but the company has already put ticket offices under sustained attack and now it wants to decimate staff across the operation. “These cuts represent a kick in the teeth to rail workers and passengers alike and RMT will resist compulsory redundancies with every means at its disposal, ” Bob Crow said.