The action will take place on 5 May. The union said talks with transport secretary Geoff Hoon broke down after he refused to give any assurances over rail industry job cuts.

RMT members at Jarvis will refuse to carry out overtime for all shifts on Tuesday 5 May and will strike on the same day between 12.00 and 13.00hrs.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: “Nobody should underestimate the determination of RMT members to fight off the jobs massacre that is being lined up for the railway industry.

“Geoff Hoon and the Labour Government should be ashamed that they are sitting back and doing nothing while the private companies, who have taken billions in profits and subsidies from the taxpayer in recent years, hold a gun to our members’ heads,” he said.

On the 5 May, RMT workers plan to petition parliament to demand:

* An end to cuts in rail jobs and services. A freeze in shareholder dividends with all profits instead invested to protect services and jobs.
* An urgent industry-wide programme to ebable the railways to provide a green stimulus to the economy to help fight the economic downturn.
* A wholly integrated, publicly-owned and accountable People’s Railway and London Underground which put people before profit and where passengers and workers have a real voice

The RMT is currently balloting its engineering members over a proposal for industrial action at five other key Network Rail contractors over the threat to jobs and on Friday 1 May some 700 RMT members will strike for 24 hours on Stagecoach subsidiary East Midlands Trains over plans to slash 200 jobs.

“We’ve got a message for the government and the private companies in the rail industry. Our members are not cannon fodder who can be hired and fired at will while the bankers and the City spivs are being bailed out to the tune of billions.

“On 5 May we will be taking our campaign against the job cuts and for a publicly-owned, Peoples Railway to the Houses of Parliament. This is a fight that RMT members are determined to win,” Crow said.

See also:

Union leader calls for Hoon sacking

Press Association: 28 April 2009

A union leader has called for the sacking of the Transport Secretary after accusing him of refusing to intervene to stop rail fare rises and job cuts.

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association said Geoff Hoon was a "do nothing" minister despite worsening job losses, cuts in services and continual hikes in fares.

General secretary Gerry Doherty said Mr Hoon held a "stormy" two hour meeting with rail union leaders who had called on the Government to order a halt to the cuts.

See also:

Sack 'Buff Hoon' say rail unions

Evening Standard: 30.04.09
Dick Murray

Under fire: transport bosses are calling for Geoff Hoon to be sacked

Rail union bosses today called for Geoff Hoon to be fired, saying he is the worst Transport Secretary ever.

The demand followed a meeting yesterday at which the unions failed to persuade Mr Hoon to halt future fare rises and job cuts by rail firms.

Gerry Doherty, general secretary of the TSSA transport union, said: "I can see why everyone calls him Buff Hoon." The RMT union responded to the meeting by ordering a one-hour token strike next Tuesday among 1,000 engineers working for Network Rail contractor Jarvis which is axing 450 jobs.

A spokesman for Mr Hoon said: "He made it clear he expects NR and train operators to fulfil their contractual obligations to passengers and the taxpayer."