STAFF at Highlands railway stations have had little or no say in the RailCorp station reviews which appear to be more about cost cutting than improving services.
As a result of a review at Bowral railway station on Thursday, the station will be unmanned on Saturday nights.
Two staff positions at Moss Vale were cut after a review on Wednesday.
Bowral’s ticket office, formerly open until 9pm, will shut at 2pm, leaving commuters to battle with ticket machines.
Sources say review recommendations are being forced on station managers, who are being told that if they don’t sign off on the reviews, cutting back their own hours and that of their staff, then following offers would be even less generous.
One source close to the station said the process had demoralised staff, and managers were being bullied into accepting the reviews.
The Rail, Bus and Tram Union has been accused of not doing enough and even siding with management over Highlands reviews.
Union representatives unfamiliar with the area are tagging along with RailCorp’s cost cutters to rubber-stamp the changes.
Reviews of section-2 stations, which include the Highlands, are continuing, with changes to come into effect in late August.
According to the Bowral review, the full-time station manager at Mittagong has been sacked, Mittagong’s ticket office will close at 6pm instead of 9pm on weekdays, and Bargo’s office will be open four hours instead of eight hours on weekdays.
The Bowral station manager will add Yerrinbool and Mittagong to his Bowral and Burradoo duties, and the Bowral office will shut at 2pm on weekends instead of 9pm.
The reviews were not as severe as staff expected but any loss of service was not good for commuters, a source said.
No staff on Saturday nights would create problems for commuters but RailCorp’s bean counters appear more concerned with trimming fat than providing staff to help commuters with ticketing problems or directions.
The review was inconsistent, with some stations receiving preference over others, a source said.
Bowral staff submitted a union-designed petition to RailCorp in May. Fifty commuters signed the petition opposing the review.
RailCorp did not respond or acknowledge that it had received the peition.
Staff have little choice but to grin and bear the cuts, with hours downgraded without any obvious benefits for commuters.
Highlands staff are also frustrated that Goulburn MP Pru Goward is not doing enough to fight the reviews.
It is understood she met with Bowral staff once in April and her office contacted the station shortly after the review was released on Thursday.