Following reports that the 'big five' rail operators will seek permission to operate fewer services than specified in their franchise agreements, RMT urged Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon to hold firm and give them an emphatic 'no'.

"If ever there was a case of greedy privateers wanting to have their cake and eat it this is it," RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today, ahead of his meeting with Mr Hoon.

"The big five monopoly operators have been minting it at the public's expense for more than a decade, handing over tens of millions of pounds in dividends to shareholders on the back of public subsidy, overcrowding and massive fares hikes

"Revenues, profits and dividends have been rising steadily, but at the first hint of a slowdown they want to slash services and sack staff when that is the reverse of what the economy and environment need.

"We already have operators threatening to sack staff and undermine the quality of service they offer by removing catering facilities and other front-line and service staff, and RMT will resist them with all the means at our disposal.

"Now we have the same privateers seeking to add to the downward spiral, and it is quite clear that they care nothing about the health of the economy, the environment or the services they are supposed to provide and everything about their shareholders' bank accounts.

"We need a growing rail network that encourages people to travel by train through attractive fares.

"If these parasites aren't willing to run the level of services specified in their franchises they should hand back the keys and allow them to be run in the public sector where they belong," Bob Crow said.