Jobs blow at train repair site
HUNDREDS of workers are set to lose their jobs after a train repair plant announced its closure.
Bosses at Gemini Rail Services in Springburn have taken the decision to close due to falling order numbers.
The facility has been in operation for 160 years and has provided significant employment for the local area.
NEARLY 200 staff have been dealt a blow after train repair plant bosses said Gemini Rail Services is to close.
An announcement made yesterday afternoon said the company is planning a formal consultation on the proposed closure of the plant.
The facility has existed for 160 years but order numbers are believed to be falling. Some 120 jobs will be axed. MSP Bob Doris said something must be done to keep the jobs in Glasgow. He said: “I have spoken to Unite who are rightly angry about Gemini’s decision close the Springburn site.
“Employing up to 200 workers, it has a skilled workforce and an active order book that could now be heading out of the country.
“It’s also potentially of strategic importance to the Scottish economy and our railways.
“We must do all we can to save these jobs and this site and I will be raising this matter urgently at First Ministers Questions.
“Springburn was once the proud heart of the world locomotive industry and its committed workforce deserve to see a vibrant future retained at the site, not redundancy.”
The plant can carry out service, maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrades on all train types thanks to highlyskilled workers.
The main union on site is Unite and they say the jobs lost will be closer to 200 as various contractors are involved at the site.
And the union called for action from the Scottish Government saying it has repeatedly raised concerns.
Pat McIlvogue, regional industrial officer, said: “Unite has been working hard to get clarity and seek assurances on the Springburn depot.
“The proposed closure will affect around two hundred highly skilled jobs and lead to the ludicrous situation whereby the maintenance of Scotland’s rail stock would be carried out in England.
“This situation is completely unacceptable, which is why Unite has been raising this issue with the Scottish Government over a number of months now.
“We have been fobbed off on the basis that talks between the Scottish Government and Gemini Rail Services UK Ltd were forthcoming.
“We believe there is a significant body of work which can sustain the site until the end of next year at the very least.
“The announcement must concentrate the mind of the Transport Minister and the Scottish Government must urgently intervene to ensure the future of the site.”
A spokesman for Gemini Rail Services said: “It is with deep regret that Gemini Rail Services has had to announce to employees its proposal to close the Springburn site in Glasgow.
“We are now entering a consultation period where all options will be explored with a view to avoiding redundancies. The proposal is as a result of increasingly changing and challenging market conditions which are outside of our control.
“It is very clear, as it has been for some time, that numbers of pre-privatisation rolling stock which have been the cornerstone of business for many years, are in severe decline.
“Due to the introduction of more modern vehicles, the number of pre-privatisation vehicles in service will reduce by 80 per cent in the next five years.
“Furthermore, Springburn will continue to suffer an unsustainable decline in demand, due to its location, as only around 10 per cent of the rolling stock that will be accessible is in Scotland and the North of England.
“We recognise the dedication and hard work of all staff at Springburn and know this will be an upsetting period for them and their families.”