Laser Eye Surgery

Our ref: HSR

Head Office Circular NP/209/25

27^th November 2025

 

To: All Secretaries of Branches and Regional Councils 

 

 

Dear Colleague

 

LASER EYE SURGERY

 

The 2026 RMT National Industrial Organising Conference of Train Crews and Shunting Grades conference passed the following resolution: 

 

This Branch is concerned that train operators are stipulating that candidates for conductor/train manager/ driver jobs are advised they cannot have had laser eye surgery.

 

For example, Transpennine Express state on a recent job advertisement for a conductor that:

 

Due to the safety responsibilities in the role applicants must

• Not have defective colour vision or undergone laser eye surgery.

 

This is nonsensical and we believe potentially discriminatory in its application. 

Members with myopia or hyperopia may have had surgery to correct this. The surgery is a recognised procedure and is extremely safe and common in society.  Other train operators, LNER for example, allow candidates to have had laser eye surgery.

 

There can be no justification for eliminating candidates from applying for these positions, especially given it's accepted elsewhere in industry. Medical procedures have developed, and it appears to us that these restrictions were put in place many years ago and absolutely do not consider the latest medical treatments and success rate of such a procedure.

 

Given that all TOCs soon will fall under the umbrella of the DFT, it is even more prevalent that standards are replicated across the industry and should not differentiate between TOCs. How can some companies accept candidates who have had laser eye surgery and others won’t? 

 

Additionally, members are subject to periodical and pre-recruitment medicals that check vision so why insist on not accepting applicants if they have had eye surgery? If they meet standard, then they meet standard.

 

The Rail Safety and Standards Board, after a resolution at 2023 AGM from this branch, have already advised that they are looking to remove the unaided standard. This development should be a replicated in allowing applicants who meet criteria, having had laser eye surgery, to apply for positions.

 

Therefore, this Branch calls upon Conference to move that the NEC:

 

1. Instruct the General Secretary to write to all TOCs, advising them they must remove any stipulation that candidates for safety-critical roles must not have undergone laser eye surgery.
2. Advocate for the harmonisation of medical and recruitment standards across the rail industry, ensuring they reflect current medical advancements and do not unjustly exclude competent candidates.

 

In relation to this your National Executive Committee at its meeting on 4^thNovember 2025, noted and adopted the following report from its Health and Safety sub-committee: 

We instruct the General Secretary to:

• Instruct Regional Organisers to speak to their TOCs to ensure that the Companies remove any stipulation which demands that candidates for safety-critical roles have not undergone laser eye surgery
• Advocate for the harmonisation of medical and recruitment standards across the rail industry, particularly within GBR, ensuring the standards reflect current medical advancements and do not unjustly exclude competent candidates.

Branches and Regional Councils to be informed accordingly. 

 

I am acting in line with these instructions. Please bring this circular to the attention of all relevant members.

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

Eddie Dempsey

General Secretary