CHAOS was threatened on the rails today as York staff turned up for work "not knowing who was in charge or what they were supposed to be doing", union leaders claimed.

Officials at the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) warned of a "shambles" as Network Rail took back its maintenance contracts from York-based Jarvis Rail - with some staff having boycotted vital consultation briefings.

Union bosses have asked 3,000 Jarvis workers not to attend the briefings while they conduct a ballot for strike action.

That vote comes after the union claimed it was not given assurances there would not be compulsory redundancies during talks about the staff transfers.

Bill Rawcliffe, York RMT branch chairman, said there was a "chaotic situation" as some staff began work without having had proper consultation.

He said: "I came out of a meeting and there were 14 messages on my phone from people who did not know who they were working for.

"In the short term, this is going to be extremely confusing. Consultation meetings have been adjourned and people don't know who is in charge."

He stressed the transfer, which affected hundreds of workers in York, would not compromise safety on the rails.

He said the union had asked Network Rail to consider postponing the transfers to allow adequate consultation - but said the company had refused.

Network Rail has relieved Jarvis of its contracts as it stops using private contractors to maintain Britain's railways. It aims to ensure greater consistency of maintenance.

Stan Herschel, York RMT regional organiser, said Network Rail and Jarvis had six months to sort out agreements, but had "left everything to the last minute".

"My members are professional people, they will do a professional job but they are not being treated in a professional way," he said.

"We are still seeking reassurances regarding the future of our members and until we get a positive response from Jarvis and Network Rail, the ballot will go ahead.

"People have been transferred and the security of their jobs is up in the air. That is clearly not an ideal situation."

A Network Rail spokeswoman confirmed some staff, a minority it said, had walked out of staff briefings but said more than 90 meetings had been held in the last three weeks.

She said the terms and conditions for workers who were transferred were guaranteed for 90 days.

Jarvis contracts which have been taken in-house by Network Rail include maintenance work on the East Coast Main Line, which serves York.

The Network Rail spokeswoman said: "The union did ask us to postpone, but we believe appropriate measures have been taken and if any minor difficulties arise they will be solved as quickly as possible."

Updated: 10:32 Thursday, April 01, 2004