Planned Job Losses Put Auckland Rail Passengers At Risk

Rail workers say the health and safety of the travelling public is being put at risk by the removal of platform supervisors in key Auckland rail stations.

Auckland One Rail (AOR), the company who run the Auckland Metro Network for Auckland Transport, are in the process of making Platform Supervisors redundant.

The Platform Supervisor team has been operating on the Britomart and Newmarket platforms, the two busiest platforms on the Auckland Metro Network, since 2015.

Rail and Maritime Transport Union (RMTU) Northern Regional Organizer Rudd Hughes says the team was developed to deal with the often chaotic nature of these central city platforms.

He says platform supervisors improve customer service, deal with anti-social behaviour and, most importantly, are first responders during emergencies.

“Our Platform Supervisor team has been at the forefront of responding to major disruptions including the Britomart derailing and Cyclone Gabrielle.”

Mr Hughes says the changes will create health and safety issues for the travelling public.

He says frontline rail staff do not agree with the management plan, with almost 400 employees petitioning Auckland One Rail to maintain the Platform Supervisor team.

“Management has taken no notice of frontline staff concerns and have pressed on with an ill-conceived and unsafe process.”

Mr Hughes says the RMTU is calling for the Platform Supervisor team to be retained to continue to ensure the safety and wellbeing of Auckland rail users.

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