Union strike ballot over SET cuts

South Eastern Trains has 178 stations, not all of them manned

A union is to ballot its members on strike action over fears 99 ticket office jobs could be lost at rail stations in the South East and London.

South Eastern Trains (SET) wants to reduce some ticket office opening hours or close them altogether.

The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) is to ballot members between 26 October and 9 November.

A spokesman for SET insisted there would be no job losses as staff would be redeployed during quieter times.

Machines break down or run out of tickets Gerry Doherty, TSSA general secretary

He said new ticket vending machines would still allow passengers to buy a full range of tickets, but would enable the redeployment of 99 ticket office workers to "customer-facing positions".

He said another 29 people were also being taken on, meaning a total of 128 staff would be providing assistance and reassurance to passengers both on trains and platforms.

"We're actually increasing jobs, and just using them in a different way.

"New technology makes it easier for people to buy tickets, so it makes sense to close ticket offices during quiet periods," he told the BBC News website.

'Worsening service'

South Eastern Trains runs services from London to Kent and parts of East Sussex.

It has 178 railway stations, not all of which are manned.

The TSSA union has said that although going out on strike was "the last thing" its members wanted to do, there was no doubt cuts would "result in a worsening of service" for passengers as they will have to queue for longer.

"Machines break down or run out of tickets," TSSA general secretary, Gerry Doherty, said.