Rail workers to claim compensation for unfair dismissal

Harvey Harding
January 8, 2014

An Employment Tribunal has ruled rail workers who lost their jobs when a large company went into administration were unfairly dismissed.

Rail infra-structure company Jarvis collapsed in March 2010 resulting in over a thousand job losses.

An Employment Tribunal in Leeds has decided that the dismissals by Jarvis Rail Ltd were unfair.

It also ruled that liability for those dismissals and for shortfalls in the Insolvency Service payments passed to Babcock as a result of the transfer of the works; and that the Claimants, represented by RMT, have sufficient continuity of employment to take unfair dismissal claims against Babcock arising out of the September 2010 dismissals.

There will now be a further hearing in early March next year in Leeds to decide the value of the unfair dismissal claims.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: “In March 2010 over a thousand workers were dumped out on the stones when Jarvis collapsed into administration as a result of shocking mismanagement that was nothing to do with the workforce.

“Subsequently, when the work was taken over by Babcock’s, those same workers were hit again in a double-whammy that shows how the dice are loaded against the workforce and in favour of the management who walked away from these skilled rail workers without any penalty at all.

“Those managers, including Steven Norris, have been free to set up shop and start again while their workers have been plunged into poverty.

“It is a shocking indictment on the whole capitalist system.

“It is only through the guts and determination of RMT members and our lawyers at the Employment Tribunal in Leeds that we have now recorded these milestones and the campaign for justice for the Jarvis workforce goes on.”