A protest organised by East Kent RMT ( National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) will be held t Ramsgate railway station tomorrow (July 18).
The action is in response to plans to close ticket offices in all but the busiest stations
Train operators, including Southeastern, have launched public and employee consultations.
The Railway Delivery Group says the proposals are designed to move staff out of ticket offices and onto station platforms and concourses to support better, face-to-face interactions, with the potential to close ticket offices in a number of locations.
If accepted, the proposed changes would be phased in gradually. Ticket office facilities will remain open at the busiest stations and interchanges.
For Southeastern there are 180 stations and 142 ticket offices. At the conclusion of Southeastern’s consultation, the following is proposed:
At 14 of the busiest stations, Travel Centres will be provided, offering a combination of travel information and ticketing solutions.
At Southeastern’s medium and larger sized stations, where it is agreed ticket offices are no longer required, they will be closed. Overall, these stations will have fewer colleagues
At Southeastern’s smaller stations, where the only colleague currently on the station is the person in the ticket office, if agreed that the ticket office will be closed.
18 smaller stations, where vacancies have resulted in the station being temporarily unstaffed, will be restaffed as staff are deployed where they are most needed.
The East Kent RMT protest will take place at Ramsgate station’s ticket office tomorrow (July 18) between 6am-2pm. They encourage people to join them and to bring banners.
A member of the group said: “Please come and support us as we try to overturn the Government’s decision to make Ramsgate a hub and to remove staff from behind the counters.
“This will have a detrimental effect on elderly and disabled passengers and their ability to travel with confidence.
“Please come and sign our petition which nationwide we need 250.000 signatures.”
Rail Delivery Group Public consultation.
RMT Save your ticket office page
What did they think was going to happen after all the rail strikes …
The unions are going on strike partly because of the Tom’s plans to cut staff at stations.
Don’t forget to fill in the questionnaire (link in the piece above)
Who’s Tom?
Tom, I think phyllis meant “Tories” not Tom.
So your saying it’s ok for the elite yo pay themselves ridiculous sums and allow MPs to award themselves outrageous pay increases, but the person in the street has to lose there home and shirt on their backs following 13 years of incompetence from many tory leaders and governments.
#buildonbrownfieldbuildonmanston
I take it ,you will be voting for Kier Starmer,at next election.The man who will not or cannot state, what ,he will pay workers,6% or 35% ,if Labour gains power.It means he will offer all,but give nothing .Changes his mind everyday.He would get my vote ,if he actually believed in what he says,cannot define a man or a woman.Now the child credit debacle ,over ,more than two children,one minute he will remove the ban and now ,he will not
A valid point, and it could also apply to other services.
This was always going to happen, advanced in technology etc, workers worst enemy that.Just wait until computerised running of trains comes along ,both over and underground,no drivers. It will happen one day.The technology,is there for underground trains, just waiting for the brave bosses ,to give the go ahead,it is the inevitable strikes ,that holds them back,Mark my words ,it Will happen ,when I don’t know,but it will
Ray, if you’re so convinced that the selfish bosses will get their way in the end, does that mean you don’t have the energy or will to resist this change for the worse?
No ,but trains replaced barges,despite challenges
Nationalise the railways, utilities, and stop the money grab by investors, they are no longer there to supply a good service but to make sure share holders get a minimum of 5 percent or more in dividend pay out annually and your paying for it. Look at a properly run service such as Japan it puts us to shame, great Britain, Don’t make me laugh. #buildonbrownfieldbuildonmanston
STEVE – cheap flights are available to Japan if you are so dissatisfied living in UK !!
Don’t forget the much overdue and over budget useless station at seven score, what a waste.
#buildonbrownfieldbuildonmanston
No point clicking the link unless you back the union a one sided link.
Would be worth keeping the ticket office if they could find something to do for the 90 per cent of the time they are sat waiting for customers.
I’m sure railway workers lay awake nightly, racked with guilt thinking about all of the canal workers & cart horse owners their newfangled steam engines put out of work.
Times change.
I would not worry too much about the ticket offices at Margate and Ramsgate. Give it 18 months there will be no trains stopping there. The only way they will make Thanet Gateway pay is to make it very difficult to get on anywhere instead. The people of Ashford have a Eurostar Station but no trains.
Well, I’m certainly worrying about the ticket office at Ramsgate. And I don’t think Ramsgate and/or Margate stations will close, because you can only get to Thanet Parkway if you walk, cycle, hire a taxi or own a car.
thank you for the article
Better designed ticket machines would be helpful, with better prices, for instance £ x to the blue boundary line , £20 to the next and so on. Barriers at the exits as in the underground. Just have staff to keep the stations and trains clean.