Rail union RMT has blasted Network Rail chiefs as it emerged they are holding meetings in the lavish surroundings of the Langham Hotel in London while multi-billion pound cuts have left 1,500 essential safety maintenance staff facing the sack. The Network Rail board met at the Langham on Wednesday this week (December 2) and the job cuts package was among the items under discussion. According to the hotel’s website, it is “a sublime choice among London luxury hotels” offering “impeccable five-star luxury accommodation” since it is “the epitome of elegance and poise”. In what few are likely to see as a surprising development, RMT leader Bob Crow has not taken this news at all well. He said: “While 1,500 emergency track maintenance staff face the prospect of being slung on the dole this Christmas, their bosses are strutting around in the Langham Hotel. The top bosses at Network Rail are making multi-billion cuts to the rail infrastructure with the maintenance jobs of RMT members in the firing line. At the same time, they are paying out wads of cash to enjoy the opulence of the Langham Hotel. Our members are furious and will not take this insult without a real fight.” And they might be short of people volunteering to hold their coats.
