Sacked rail workers vent fury at Jarvis in demonstration over unpaid wages

Yesterday's event, organised by the Transport Salaried Staffs

Association (TSSA) in conjunction with the RMT, GMB and Unite, attracted about 250 disgruntled former employees.

Members of all the unions held a meeting at their former depot in Doncaster before staging a march and a town centre rally where union officials spoke from the Mansion House steps.

Chris Hargrave, the TSSA's regional organiser, said: "It was a very good turn-out when you consider that the event was organised in two days and done mainly by word of mouth.

"We had a meeting with Yorkshire and Humber Minister Rosie Winterton prior to the march and then afterwards there was another gathering where advice was available to sacked workers.

"A lot of these guys have worked on the railways all their lives and have never been unemployed. It was sad because some of them had to leave early today to sign on.

"They have never claimed benefits ever in their life but now they are being forced to sign on. They are highly-skilled workers who have kept the public safe on the railways for years.

"The work they were doing still exists, and our question is who is doing the jobs they were doing? The work has not disappeared, it is still out there and these guys should have gone with it."

Mr Hargrave said many were pursuing claims for unfair dismissal and making claims on the Government's insolvency fund for five weeks' unpaid wages.

York-based Jarvis went into administration last month, blaming "very considerable reductions" in business since the recession struck.

Further protests are planned in York and Leeds, where Jarvis had a depot.