{"id":24374,"date":"2020-10-22T16:11:51","date_gmt":"2020-10-22T15:11:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=24374"},"modified":"2020-10-22T16:11:53","modified_gmt":"2020-10-22T15:11:53","slug":"nonsensical-network-rail-contract-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=24374","title":{"rendered":"‘Nonsensical’ Network Rail contract changes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Railway track safety standards and jobs in Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire and Scotland, are being put in jeopardy by \u00e2\u20ac\u0098nonsensical\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Network Rail plans to switch its track component suppliers, Unite warned today (October 22).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The long-term holder of the contracts, Progress Rail Services, has been informed that the work will be carried out elsewhere when the current contracts come to an end. While supporting Progress Rail\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bid, Unite branded the firm\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s threats to fire its entire workforce if it loses the contracts \u00e2\u20ac\u0098disgraceful\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 and \u00e2\u20ac\u0098unwarranted\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Network Rail intends to split the new contracts, worth \u00c2\u0141500 million over eight years, between three other firms that lack Progress Rail\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s comprehensive and specialist UK manufacturing capabilities and who will be forced to source a significant amount of parts from abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Progress Rail, which employs more than 460 people at plants in Sandiacre, Beeston, Sheffield and South Queensferry, holds around 800 exclusive patterns for the components it supplies, and its sites have produced UK track components for generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Progress Rail, which is owned by Caterpillar, has accused Network Rail of prioritising cost over quality. In a letter to the union, the firm stated there is a \u00e2\u20ac\u015bvery real risk to the integrity and security of the UK rail network arising from Network Rail\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s decision\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The firm\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s workers have also told Unite that they believe this to be the case, after having had to reject cheaply made parts from other suppliers for unrelated reasons on previous occasions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unite national officer Harish Patel said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt is completely nonsensical for Network Rail to cut Progress Rail, whose specialist sites have been producing UK railway components for generations, almost completely out of its supply chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bProgress Rail is home to a world class manufacturing workforce, holds the exclusive patterns for around 800 components and is the only UK firm with the capability to ensure that parts do not need to be brought in from abroad,” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe company has stated to Unite that this is about Network Rail prioritising cost over quality and both Progress Rail and our members have genuine concerns that opening the door to cheaply made parts will jeopardise track safety as well as vital UK manufacturing jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bProgress Rail\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s disgraceful threats to fire its entire UK workforce, however, are completely unwarranted. This is a company with the corporate and financial might of Caterpillar behind it and it is not completely reliant on Network Rail contracts,” Patel continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bOur members are not chess pieces to be moved around on a board for the purposes of Progress Rail executives. The company has the support of Unite over Network Rail\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mistaken decision, but manipulative and uncalled for attempts to target our members will be met with the full force of the union.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Ryan Fletcher<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Railway track safety standards and jobs in Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire and Scotland, are being put in jeopardy by \u00e2\u20ac\u0098nonsensical\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Network Rail plans to switch its track component suppliers, Unite warned today (October 22). The long-term holder of the contracts, Progress Rail Services, has been informed that the work will be carried out elsewhere when the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24047,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"wps_subtitle":"Network Rail contract changes risk track safety and jobs in Nottinghamshire, Sheffield and Scotland","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24374"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24374"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24376,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24374\/revisions\/24376"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}