Rail staff picket outside Glasgow Central
RAIL workers are pressing ahead with strike action in Glasgow with union bosses saying they “don’t see a deal in sight”. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport ( RMT) union were seen picketing outside Glasgow Central yesterday morning, marking the start of two 48- hour strikes at Network Rail and 14 train companies from yesterday until Friday.
Trains are only running from 7.30am to 6.30pm on this week’s strike days, although many parts of the country will have no services.
But with further walkouts planned, Network Rail has warned there will be significantly reduced services, with trains more crowded and likely to start later and finish earlier until January 8.
Asked if there is a glimmer of hope in the negotiations, Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines told BBC Breakfast:
“It’s hard to see that today. I’ve learned, you know, through a long career, that sometimes the light is just around the corner.
“But where I stand today, I’d have to say that with the level of disruption the RMT are imposing, the way forward isn’t obvious.”
But Transport Secretary Mark Harper said “almost 40%” of RMT members at Network Rail voted in favour of an offer to resolve the dispute despite “a very clear instruction from their union leadership”.
He told GB News: “I think the tide is turning on people seeing that the offers we have made are reasonable, taking into account both the travelling public but also the interest of taxpayers.”
The RMT said 63.6% voted to reject Network Rail’s offer on an 83% turnout.
The Office for National Statistics said 417,000 working days were lost to labour disputes in October, which is the highest since November 2011.
Talks to avert the nursing strike have failed after the union leader behind the action accused Health Secretary Steve Barclay of “belligerence” and refusing to discuss pay.
RMT workers will also strike from 6pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on December 27. General secretary Mick Lynch insisted he has “no intention of spoiling people’s Christmas”.
He told Good Morning Britain: “The Government is contributing to that spoiling of the people’s Christmas because they’ve brought these strikes on by stopping the companies from making suitable proposals.
“That’s the position that we’re in and we’ll have to keep this dispute going until we get a reasonable settlement and a reasonable set of proposals that our members want to accept.”
Network Rail had offered a 5% pay rise for this year backdated to January with another 4% at the start of 2023 and a guarantee of no compulsory job losses until January 2025.
The RMT’s executive recommended rejecting the offer, saying it was linked to “significant” changes to working practices.
Talks between Mr Barclay and Ms Cullen failed to find a breakthrough, with the Health Secretary refusing to negotiate on pay.
“The Government was true to its word they would not talk to me about pay,” the RCN boss said in a statement.
“I needed to come out of this meeting with something serious to show nurses why they should not strike this week. Regrettably, they are not getting an extra penny.”
The union is demanding a pay rise of 5% above the RPI rate of inflation, which was 14.2% in October, but Ms Cullen has hinted that she could compromise if the Government negotiates on pay.
Mr Barclay has been sticking with the independent pay review body’s recommendation of a £ 1400 rise.