Network Rail is expected to hand Jarvis maintenance contracts to Babcock this week following the collapse of Jarvis into administration last month.

Administrator Deloitte made the 1,200 Jarvis staff redundant at the head office in York, as well as in Doncaster, Glasgow, Leeds, Newcastle and Peterborough.

It has been reported that former Jarvis staff have been hired by labour-only agencies to carry out rail maintenance work on longer shifts at half their former weekend rates – being paid £6 an hour for work they were previously paid £12 an hour for.

Union leaders will demand today that the Jarvis staff are now taken-on by Babcock under their original terms and conditions.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: “It is quite clear that 1,200 front-line rail maintenance staff did not suddenly become redundant when the company collapsed, and it is imperative that Network Rail is not allowed to use the crisis to drive down costs at the expense of our members’ safety and conditions.

“We now need to make sure that justice is done and all Jarvis workers are transferred under their old terms and conditions. We do not want to see then exploited and endangered, working longer hours for less money under worse conditions.”