27.03.14
London Midland to axe 150 jobs
London Midland is to cut around 150 jobs as part of a ‘restructuring’ plan – as the company is facing rising costs.
The changes will affect head office and support staff, added the operator.
The news has been branded “disappointing” by the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) union. Its leader Manuel Cortes said: “We are very disappointed to hear about these job losses, especially as things appeared to be at last settling down at the company after all the difficulties over the past few years."
London Midland managing director Patrick Verwer defended the actions by saying that the “service to our passenger will not be affected by the changes”.
Although he did add: “Like every other business however, we have to keep our costs under control. Our proposal has been designed to increase efficiency and reduce our costs while continuing to improve trains and station services.”
London Midland, which was ordered to pay £7m compensation to passengers because of its poor service record two years ago, had started to make improvements, noted the TSSA.
In response to the latest news, Cortes said: “We are seeking urgent talks to discover just whereabouts these jobs losses are planned. We do hope, however, that these cuts are nothing to do with any conditions imposed by ministers when they extended this particular franchise last year.”
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