The RMT today called on Network Rail to pull back from its plans to sell off plant division Hydrex with a warning that the re-privatisation of the operation, that NR had to rescue from bankruptcy only three months ago, will place hundreds of essential, skilled jobs at the heart of the rail industry back at risk.

RMT takes the view that the responsible course of action for Network Rail, in light of the previous private sector failure, is to keep the Hydrex skills, organisation and workforce in house. The plan to jump back into further fragmentation and destabilisation is of no benefit to the workforce or the industry. RMT has written to Network Rail Chief David Higgins to ask him to reverse this disastrous decision.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: “RMT has built a solid union organisation within the former Hydrex workforce and we intend to use every tool at our disposal to persuade Network Rail to call off their plans to throw these workers back out to the mercy of the private sector.

“Network Rail did the right thing back in November last year when it bought the collapsed Hydrex from the administrators to save over 500 jobs and to bring a core aspect of NR’s business in house.

“To risk an action replay of that catastrophic private sector failure, just a few months later, makes no operational or business sense whatsoever and simply destabilises a key area of rail activity with the associated threat to jobs and working conditions as the same old gang of spivs and chancers who failed before move back into the frame.”