By Up to 450 jobs under threat at Wabtec site in Doncaster
Up to 450 jobs are under threat at the Wabtec rail refurbishment factory in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, it has been announced.
Wabtec said the plans, which could see nearly half its workforce axed, were due to a fall in demand for its services.
It said the proposed cuts would help secure the future of the factory.
It is the same site where the Flying Scotsman was built and completed in 1862.
But the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) said the planned “savage cuts” should be “immediately withdrawn” to allow for discussions.
Under the proposals, which are to be put out to consultation, up to 450 jobs could be lost over several months.
Redundancies are expected to start in August.
Ahead of the threat of losing up to 450 jobs, a spokesperson at the Wabtec rail refurbishment factory site in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, said the firm was:
“proposing to realign the site to focus on projects best suited for its operational strengths and better position the facility for long-term success”.
But, Mick Cash, RMT General Secretary, said:
“The fact that these savage cuts have been smuggled out under the cloak of the Covid-19 crisis is a disgraceful way to act.”
He called for the firm to halt its plans and enter discussions “on how we protect these skilled engineering jobs before they are lost for good”.
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