Trade union chiefs have reacted angrily to Southeastern’s decision to axe 300 jobs.

The railway operator said 90 staff would be made redundant before April, with the other jobs going over the rest of the year.

It hoped most of these would go through natural turnover and unfilled vacancies when people retired or left for other reasons.

Managers, adminstrative and support staff at the company’s head office in Blackfriars, London, and depots across Kent will be hit. Around eight per cent of the operator’s 4,000-strong workforce are affected.

Southeastern, which runs commuter and suburban services between Kent, Medway and London, blamed the challenging economic climate and slower-than-expected passenger growth, which has also cut anticipated revenue.

The operator controversially hiked fares by around eight per cent at the start of the year and faces the extra cost of introducing high-speed domestic services between east Kent, Ebbsfleet and St Pancras International in December. Passengers using the new services will have to pay a 30 per cent premium.

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In a statement, Southeastern said: "In line with many other companies in the UK at the moment, this step is being taken in order for us to remain a successful operation. It's necessary to take these measures in a time of reduced passenger journey growth and a more challenging economic climate."

But the RMT trade union said it would not accept compulsory redundancies among its members. It accused the Govia-owned franchise of shedding staff to "protect profits and shareholder dividends".

Bob Crow, RMT general secretary, denounced Southeastern for making rail workers pay with their jobs at the first sign of a downturn.

"That is a disgrace, and in the current economic crisis the Government should be telling Southeastern that it is not on," he said.

"Southeastern is part of a group raking in record profits and these planned cuts are not only completely unjustified but underline that Govia is interested only in making money.

"The franchise has seen its passenger numbers grow by more than six per cent and its passenger revenue grow by 13 per cent in the last year."

He added: "These are jobs our members and the economy cannot afford to lose, and Southeastern should understand that RMT will resist compulsory redundancies with every means at its disposal."