Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Collective redundancyLatest NewsIndustrial action / strikesInformation & consultationTrade unions

Major rail redundancy programme could spark strikes

by Jo Faragher 16 Aug 2021
by Jo Faragher 16 Aug 2021 Network Rail has been accused of sounding out managers about voluntary redundancy
Radharc Images / Alamy Stock Photo
Network Rail has been accused of sounding out managers about voluntary redundancy
Radharc Images / Alamy Stock Photo

Network Rail and other train operating companies have launched a redundancy programme that could see more than 10,000 jobs taken out of the rail industry.

Transport unions are angry with the companies for going directly to staff with a voluntary severance scheme, however, claiming they have been left out of negotiations and warning of potential strikes.

Network Rail alone plans to cut between 7,000 and 9,000 jobs – the equivalent of between a third and a quarter of its employees.

Redundancy consultation

Collective redundancy consultation 

How to consult on an individual basis during a redundancy exercise 

Talking to The Times, Tim Shoveller, regional managing director, said: “Network Rail has opened a voluntary leavers scheme, initially looking at its head office management grades that have disproportionately grown over the last decade.

“The scheme will help us, and the wider industry, modernise, adapt and change to respond to changing travel habits.

“We want to protect jobs and give our employees security and, as part of that ambition, we have agreed with our trade unions that we will aim to avoid compulsory redundancies.”

However, unions have claimed that company bosses are sounding out managers individually about redundancy packages rather than launching a formal consultation.

Some have claimed that older workers will end up being made redundant in favour of hiring a new generation of managers and engineers on worse terms and conditions.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch accused rail companies of “taking advantage of the Covid crisis to deliver a devastating short-term cuts agenda on behalf of the government”.

“The scheme they are using does not even meet the standard of our existing agreements on reorganisations and flies in the face of our usual processes,” he added.

TSSA, which represents managers, warned of potential strikes and called Network Rail’s severance scheme “vacuous”.

Manuel Cortes, TSSA general secretary, said: “We are aware that there is a special voluntary severance scheme. This scheme belongs with the employers and it has not been agreed with the TSSA or any of the other rail trade unions. Our union has secured a no compulsory redundancy policy until at least the end of this year.

“It’s up to rail workers to decide whether or not they think they wish to take advantage of voluntary severance. This is a personal choice, but everyone should be aware that no one will be forced out of a job as the no compulsory redundancy policy prevents this from happening and our union will fight to ensure that those remaining within our industry are not overloaded with work when their colleagues depart.

“We hope we can resolve this dispute amicably but make no mistake – trains will be coming to a halt if not.”

Network Rail and other operators including FirstGroup and Abellio have an agreement with unions not to force through compulsory redundancies before the end of the year.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

The pandemic hit the travel industry hard as lockdowns meant a huge reduction in passenger numbers. It has been reported that transport secretary Grant Shapps needs to cut £2 billion of costs.

HR roles in the travel and transport on Personnel Today


Browse more HR roles in the travel and transport sector

Grant Shapps
Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. Jo is also the author of 'Good Work, Great Technology', published in 2022 by Clink Street Publishing, charting the relationship between effective workplace technology and productive and happy employees. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

previous post
Wage rises could lead to price spikes
next post
Employers should have to ‘opt out’ of any ‘right to disconnect’

You may also like

Tribunal finds need for degree in redundancy selection...

14 May 2025

Construction workers win compensation claim against defunct employer

9 May 2025

British Steel puts brakes on redundancy process

23 Apr 2025

British Steel: MPs recalled to enable nationalisation

11 Apr 2025

Met Police cuts 1,700 officers and staff in...

3 Apr 2025

Top 10 HR questions March 2025: Carrying over...

2 Apr 2025

Sky to close call centres cutting 2,000 jobs

28 Mar 2025

Reasons behind Dundee University job losses to be...

28 Mar 2025

British Steel to shed 2,700 jobs at Scunthorpe...

27 Mar 2025

April 2025: What’s coming up for HR?

21 Mar 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+