TSSA vows to fight for DB Cargo members

Rail union TSSA has has told members working at DB Cargo that it will ‘fight their corner’ over the planned sale of the UK arm of the rail freight giant by its parent company.

DB Cargo UK is searching for a new owner after the German state operator Deutsche Bahn decided to concentrate on its mainland Europe operations. DB Cargo UK employs about 2,200 people, providing freight, infrastructure and passenger charter trains across the UK and to Europe.

TSSA is the only union with collective bargaining rights for Technical and Specialist (TS) grades and also has collective bargaining rights for all ground staff where it is the biggest union. The union also represents managers.

Commenting, TSSA General Secretary, Maryam Eslamdoust said: “The sale of the UK arm of DB Cargo will cause concern for our members and their families but we are determined to fight their corner. Our priority is to protect their jobs, livelihoods, terms and conditions - and future job security.

“Though no planned redundancies have been announced we are seeking an urgent no compulsory redundancy guarantee because the truth is DB Cargo is a hugely important company to the British economy; and it’s vital Ministers recognise the wider importance of rail freight.

“TSSA will strongly be making the case for our members at DB Cargo and the case for expanding rail freight across the UK’s transport network, both for economic and environmental reasons.”