DB Cargo has announced proposals to cut its traincrew resource by around 10 per cent.
The company says some of this will be through natural attrition with around 70-75 colleagues leaving through redundancy. It is going through the consultation with ASLEF.
In an internal communication to staff, CEO Andrea Rossi says that despite recent and ongoing efforts to improve operations, financial efficiency and profitability, the company remains on course to report yet another significant loss this year.
He also explains that softening of some of DB Cargo’s core markets, the recent exit from some unprofitable contracts and loss of business to its competitors means it is running over 25 per cent fewer trains every week – but with the same level of resources.
He said: “Our costs have also increased exponentially over the past 18 months due to external factors like the invasion on Ukraine and its ongoing impact on the price of things like energy, parts and materials.
“While we had been working towards an agreed five-year plan to improve, unfortunately our circumstances have now changed and dictate that we take more immediate action.”
The first meeting with ASLEF has taken place and Andrea has said that affected colleagues will be updated as the consultation progresses. However, he says that “no decisions have yet been taken and all ways of mitigating redundancies will be fully explored”.
