Government ‘gearing up for an all-out assault on jobs, pay and pensions’

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Employees (RMT) has warned that the DfT is gearing up for an all-out attack on employment, wages, and pensions, while it has been reported that it is searching for a paid-up union-buster to fight the workforce.

The DfT is recruiting for a Rail Pensions and Workforce Director who will be a member of a new-created team of 15 workers, all of which will be interested in creating a newly formed team of approximately 15 people who will put together and improve the Department’s workforce, labour relations, and pension policy skills.

An advertisement states that the successful applicant “will work closely with their job share partner to lead and motivate team members across the Directorate, engage credibly across a broad stakeholder base, and develop policies which will shape and define the future of pensions and workforce in the rail sector.”

The ad published in The Guardian goes on to state that the Director will be operating in a “politically sensitive environment” and leading in both a policy and implementation capacity in relation to staff and pensions for the department and the broader sector.

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: “RMT has been warning that the Government and the employers would be gearing up for a post-COVID assault on our members across the transport sector and here they are headhunting a dedicated hitman or woman.

“It would be a scandal if the essential transport workers who have kept key staff and freight moving throughout the pandemic were rewarded with a kick in the teeth on jobs, pay and pensions. RMT will fight any such attack.”