5 July 2023
RMT Press Office:
RMT has condemned fat cat train operators and the government for attempting to decimate the railways by announcing the closure of 1,000 ticket offices.
On the back of their announcement, they are issuing statutory redundancy notices for hundreds of railway workers, something RMT will fiercely oppose.
General Secretary Mick Lynch said: "The decision to close up to 1,000 ticket offices and to issue hundreds of redundancy notices to staff is a savage attack on railway workers, their families and the travelling public.
"Travellers will be forced to rely on apps and remote mobile teams to be available to assist them rather than having trained staff on stations.
"This is catastrophic for elderly, disabled and vulnerable passengers trying to access the rail network.
“The arrangements for ticket office opening hours, set out in Schedule 17 of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, are the only statutory regulation of station staffing.
“It is crystal clear that the government and train companies want to tear up this agreement and pave the way for a massive de-staffing of the rail network.
"Some of the train operators issuing our members with statutory redundancy notices today are cutting two thirds of their workforce.
"It is clear that the whole enterprise of closing ticket offices has got nothing to do with modernisation and is a thinly veiled plan to gut our railways of station staff.
"Fat cat rail operators and the government do not care one jot about passenger safety, or a well-staffed and friendly railway open to all to use.
"They want to cut costs, make profits for shareholders, and run the network into the ground without a thought as to the vital role the rail industry plays in the country's economy.
"RMT is mounting a strong industrial, and political campaign to resist ticket office closures and station staff cuts. And we will continue our fight on July 20, 22 and 29 when 20,000 railway workers on the train operators go on strike."
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Transport Focus is one of the passenger watchdogs overseeing the public consultations. And in its evidence to the Transport Select Committee enquiry into accessibility, they said: "In much of our research there is a consistent message coming through about staff: passengers like and value having staff around."
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