Shapps ‘wrecked’ rail dispute talks
A FRESH strike by rail workers will go ahead on Thursday after the union at the centre of a bitter dispute over jobs, pay and conditions accused the Transport Secretary of “wrecking” negotiations.
Talks were held on Wednesday between the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), Network Rail and rail operators in a bid to break the deadlocked row.
But there was no breakthrough, with the RMT criticising Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Grant Shapps has wrecked these negotiations by not allowing Network Rail to withdraw their letter threatening redundancy for 2,900 of our members.
“Until the Government unshackle Network Rail and the train operating companies, it is not going to be possible for a negotiated settlement to be agreed.
“We will continue with our industrial campaign until we get a negotiated settlement that delivers job security and a pay rise for our members that deals with the escalating cost-of-living crisis.”
RMT members at Network Rail and 13 train operators will walk out on Thursday
following a stoppage on Tuesday, crippling large parts of the rail network.
Around 60% of services ran on Wednesday as it took time for trains and crews to get to depots following the walkout.
Some services will start to run down on Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, members of the drivers’ union Aslef on Greater Anglia will strike on Thursday in a separate dispute over pay.
The company, which is also affected by the RMT dispute, advised passengers only to travel if it was necessary.
The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) announced that its members at
Merseyrail had accepted a 7.1% pay offer.
General secretary Manuel Cortes said: “What this clearly shows is our union, and sister unions, are in no way a block on finding the solutions needed to avoid a summer of discontent on the railways.
“Rather, it is the Government who are intent on digging in their heels. Grant Shapps would be wise to start talking seriously to our union as we ballot for industrial action on our railways up and down the land.”
A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson: “We are very disappointed that the RMT leadership has decided to go ahead with tomorrow’s strikes. With passenger numbers still at only 80% of pre-pandemic levels the industry remains committed to giving a fair deal on pay while taking no more than its fair share from taxpayers.
“We can only achieve that by making improvements – like offering better services on a Sunday – that reflect the changing needs of passengers so we can attract more back. We call on the RMT leadership to continue to talk so that we can secure a thriving long-term future for the railway and its workforce.”