Demonstration: Axed rail workers take protest to city streets

Employees from across the country, including those who were hit by redundancies in Doncaster, Leeds and the head office in York, gathered for a protest rally in City Square.

The protest was part of a campaign organised by the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) and Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) unions to put pressure on Network Rail to help ex-Jarvis workers find work with other companies.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "The total cost of the administrators' Jarvis rescue package would be 19m – money that would be easily recouped by the Government and Network Rail.

"Instead, as a result of the Government refusing to use its legal powers to intervene and ignoring the administrators' proposals, over 1,000 workers have been sacked and their pensions destroyed. That is a scandal."

Administrators Deloitte announced the redundancies earlier this year, saying that without further funding it couldn't continue operating parts of the Jarvis group. A Network Rail spokesman said: "Network Rail is working with its administrators to do all it can to help ex-Jarvis workers but investment in the railway must continue and other more successful and competitive contractors are now taking up the reins."