STATEMENT REGARDING SPECULATION OVER PROPOSED REDUCTION IN EMPLOYEE NUMBERS

Monday 2 Aug 2004

STATEMENT REGARDING SPECULATION OVER PROPOSED REDUCTION IN EMPLOYEE NUMBERS

Region & Route:: National

In June 2003 Network Rail announced its intention to reduce employee numbers by 2000 within three years as part of a wider programme of cost reduction and efficiency improvement in the business. The first phase of this programme was carried-out in autumn 2003, with some 600 managerial and administrative posts removed. This week, the Company will begin consultation with trade unions over plans to reduce employee numbers by approximately 900 further posts. The proposals are the consequence of the reorganisation of Network Rail on functional and customer-focused lines, and the bringing in-house of rail maintenance which was concluded last month. Some employees may be redeployed in other parts of the organisation where vacancies exist with the remainder being subject to a redundancy programme. Detailed consultation with relevant trade unions will be taking place over the coming weeks.

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We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.

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