Should railway strikes be against the law?

IF IT is law that the train operators and rail unions must provide specified levels of cover, then surely it’s up to the courts to provide legal sanctions against those who do not obey the law. If union executives do not accede to the requirements then they should face financial and custodial penalties.

ROBERT BRYAN, Morpeth, northumberland.

Unions have so much power and are holding us all to ransom. My 42-year-old niece is a fully qualified social worker and been working in London. she has struggled to save enough money to purchase her own flat. she retrained to be a train driver and recently had saved sufficient funds to purchase her own property. i rest my case!

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED.

AT LEAST the train bosses, unlike commuters, will be able to afford the train fares once the strikes stop.

PETE BENNETT, New Milton, Hants.

ASLEF are being justifiably criticised for their greed. However, where is the criticism of senior rail bosses? They are presiding over companies that receive billions in subsidies and pay themselves millions in bonuses. For what? Late and cancelled trains, a poor service and a pathetic weakness when it comes to dealing with industrial action. They should be receiving final written warnings, not bonuses.

GEOFF RECORD, Wincanton, somerset.

I AM sickened at the rail strikes. They have been offered £65,000 a year for a four-day week just to drive a train. They are holding the country to ransom with their greedy demands. People will find other means of transport and the level of railway commuters will fall so dramatically that the system will become unsustainable with inevitable redundancies. It’s another example of privatisation failing miserably.

Kevin Diment, bournemouth.