Marketing campaign towards rail ticket workplace closures stepped up
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marketing campaign towards rail ticket workplace closures is being stepped up with dozens of protests throughout the nation.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) mentioned occasions will probably be held on Thursday, in addition to a rally outdoors London’s Kings Cross station.
A session on the controversial plan to shut most ticket places of work is presently being held.
The RMT is taking strike motion on July 20, 22 and 29 over the closures, in addition to pay and situations.
General secretary Mick Lynch mentioned: “Our union is taking our campaign to save ticket offices out into every town, city and village in this country.
“The recent announcements of ticket office closures is a fig-leaf for the wholescale de-staffing of stations, including safety critical train dispatch, safety critical train despatch staff, passenger assistance and other non-ticket office customer service workers.
Our union and the travelling public do not want a de-humanised railway that will be a rife with crime and anti-social behaviour, inaccessible to the most vulnerable
“Ticket office closures under Schedule 17 means there will be no regulations on staffing levels at stations whatsoever.
“Train operators will then be free to staff or de-staff any station to whatever level they choose.
“Our union and the travelling public do not want a de-humanised railway that will be a rife with crime and anti-social behaviour, inaccessible to the most vulnerable.
“We will fight these plans all the way and need the public’s support in joining our campaign and taking part in the consultation.”
The Rail Delivery Group mentioned ticket workplace workers will probably be moved onto station concourses as a part of measures it believes are essential to modernise the business.
A Department for Transport spokesperson mentioned: “These industry-led consultations are about enhancing the role of station workers and getting staff out from behind ticket office screens and into more active, customer-facing roles that will allow them to better support all passengers.
“This is not about cutting jobs – no station which is currently staffed will be unstaffed as a result of these proposed reforms.
“We have been consistently honest about the need for our railways to modernise if they are going to survive. Reviewing the role of ticket offices – with the least busy selling only one ticket an hour – is a crucial part of this.”