FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE COLLAPSE OF JARVIS RAIL

Early day motion 1678, tabled 30 March 2011 by John McDonnell (Labour). Signed by 24 members.

<p>That this House considers 31 March 2011 a shameful anniversary in the recent history of Britain's railways; recalls that on this day a year ago rail engineering company Jarvis went into administration and 1,200 skilled employees were made redundant without any notice; notes that their families' livelihoods were destroyed and that one year on the majority of these workers remain unemployed whilst Network Rail has re-let former Jarvis contracts to agency labour, some of whom pay exploitative wages; further notes that Jarvis's work transferred to new companies, but its workers did not and regards this as a national scandal; believes natural justice demands Network Rail should ensure all former Jarvis employees are transferred to new contractors with former terms and conditions respected; is concerned that the dismissal of these skilled workers will have serious consequences for rail services in the UK, impacting upon the safety of the railway and inhibiting future capacity for major infrastructure projects such as high speed rail; and urges the Government to convene an urgent industry-wide jobs seminar to examine rail engineering employment needs now and the importance of safeguarding and enhancing such skills for the future.</p>

Signatures by party: Labour 20, DUP 1, Independent 1, Liberal Democrat 1, Plaid Cymru 1.