Caroline Flint in talks over sacked rail staff

DON Valley MP Caroline Flint has secured a meeting with Business Secretary Vince Cable to discuss the future of Jarvis rail workers sacked when the company collapsed earlier this year.

Mr Cable has agreed to meet with MPs who represent the 1,200 workers laid off by Jarvis, which employed more than 400 staff in Rotherham and South Yorkshire.

Ms Flint said: “These workers were completing maintenance contracts for network Rail which still need to be done.

“Through no fault of theirs, Jarvis folded leaving them stranded and without pay and redundancy.

“I believe that Network Rail should have made every effort when re-letting these contracts to ensure that the Jarvis workers are taken on wherever possible.

“It is quite clear that this terrible turn of events was no reflection on the quality of work being done those workers, yet they have paid the price of their company’s failure.

“It is also clear that Government can either seek to help or it can turn away. These are the arguments I and other MPs will be putting to Vince Cable in the coming weeks.”