RAIL union RMT threw down the gauntlet to Southern Rail senior management yesterday, calling on it to publish the sickness, pay and perks records of senior bosses.

The union accused Southern, which is owned by Govia Thameslink Railway, of displaying a “raw and vicious hatred” for its workforce after “coming within an inch” of releasing the personal medical records of front-line staff in an attempt to justify a series of service cancellations.

The accusation follows the firm’s publication of figures on Wednesday suggesting that train conductors have called in sick more than 1,000 times in a month, and that as a direct result of this services had to be cancelled.

A spokesman for the company said: “We would not usually release such information, but passengers deserve to know the reasons behind the unusually high level of train cancellations they are presently experiencing.”

He claimed the figures showed “a remarkable and unprecedented level of sickness absence which commenced at the time of the first strike.”

RMT furiously rejected the claim and hit back at management, saying the figures were “pure fiction” and bore no relation to what workers were reporting on the ground.

It claims that the firm is deliberately under-staffing services so it can cancel them at the last minute and shift the blame to the workforce.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “In my 35 years in the trade union movement I have never before come across a train company that has such a raw and vicious hatred of its front-line workforce.

“These top bosses at Frenchowned GTR should release their own personal sickness, pay and perks records so that the public can judge their performance in the glare of publicity.”