Almost 40 train staff sacked for being drunk or taking drugs on duty during pandemic
ALMOST 40 rail staff have been sacked for being drunk or on drugs in the pandemic.
Documents reveal around eight Network Rail employees were fired on average each month from last March to the end of the year.
Some 15 workers found themselves dismissed for going absent without leave, while nine were ditched for dishonesty, fraud or theft.
But the biggest proportion of the 85 booted out from the month of the first lockdown to the end of December were the 37 given their marching orders over booze or drugs issues.
The other 24 — Freedom of Information request figures show — went for a range of bad conduct issues including discrimination, bullying, harassment or bringing the company into disrepute.
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Network Rail, which employs more than 42,000 people, claimed the vast of majority of its staff had been working tirelessly to keep services moving for key workers and transporting essential goods via freight arrangements.
Dr Richard Peters, the company’s chief medical officer, insisted: “As a safety-conscious company, we will not tolerate staff being impaired through drink or drugs.
“We have clear rules and testing in place with a tiny percentage — 0.09 per cent — failing those tests last year. Appropriate action was taken.”
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