Ministers urged to solve rail strike crisis set to cost UK £1bn

MINISTERS were last night under mounting pressure to solve the rail strikes crisis as analysis showed walkouts will blow a £1 billion hole in the economy by the New Year.

It comes after the militant RMT union threw the Christmas plans of millions into chaos this week by calling eight days of strikes in December and January.

Yesterday transport ministers remained silent, failing to issue even a single tweet condemning the action or set out their strategy for dealing with it. Labour frontbencher Yvette Cooper declined to condemn the walkouts, despite being asked twice if she supported the strikes.

Campaigners urged ministers to get a grip of the crisis in the interests of long-suffering passengers, who have had a ‘raw deal’ for too long.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper will today hold crunch talks with RMT boss Mick Lynch in a bid to find a breakthrough. Sources last night said a deal with train operators was edging closer.

It came as the Centre for Economics and Business Research found the hit to the UK economy of the walkouts will have reached £691 million by January. Many losses relate to staff absences, such as retail or hospitality employees unable to make it to work.

The rail sector estimates lost fare revenue will have exceeded £320 million by January 2023, bringing the total hit to more than £1billion since the strikes began in June.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: ‘Rail strikes have caused untold misery for millions of people, and cost the economy dearly. It’s time for ministers to pull themselves together. They must for once come up with a proper plan, get round the table and make sure that people do not face yet more turmoil over Christmas.’

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, added: ‘After two Christmases lost to Covid, these are events and sales the industry can illafford to lose. It is imperative that all sides come round the table to resolve this.’

Former transport minister Norman Baker, of the Campaign for Better Transport, said: ‘The cost of all this is becoming huge.

‘We want to see more people on the trains and every time there’s a strike it doesn’t help that objective. Ministers must meet with the unions, agree a deal and sort it.’

The RMT’s walkouts over December and January will be made up of four 48- hour strikes between December 13 and January 7.

A Department for Transport spokesman said last night: ‘Strike action risks putting the very future of the entire industry in jeopardy. We once again urge union leaders to work with employers and come to an agreement.’

HERE is a question: Can you name the Transport Secretary? No? That’s understandable. It’s actually an obscure politician called Mark Harper.

Here’s another: What exactly is he doing to stop militant rail unions blighting Christmas and New Year for thousands of ordinary people and businesses?

The depressing answer, as far as the Daily Mail can see, is very little indeed.

For months, the RMT and Aslef have crippled the train network with a campaign of rolling strikes over unaffordable and irresponsible double-digit pay demands.

These hard-Left gangsters have inflicted pain on commuters, made cancer patients miss hospital appointments, and dealt a calamitous blow to our economy.

Of course, working from home has undermined the RMT’s wrecking tactics. So now it is targeting the festive period.

Walkouts will cause chaos for Christmas shoppers, those travelling to family gatherings, and retail and hospitality at their most lucrative time of the year.

But the unions couldn’t give two hoots. In fact, RMT chief Mick Lynch revels in bringing the railways to a standstill.

So this newspaper asks: Who is standing up for the public against these class-war dinosaurs? Until last night, we had seen neither hide nor hair of Mr Harper.

When Britain is being held to ransom by union thugs, we need a high-wattage Transport Secretary – not a lustreless dud.

Yes, ministers are bringing in strike-busting laws to keep the country moving on strike days. But it is scandalous they won’t be in place until late next year.

Fed-up commuters need the Government to ram the measures on to the statute book now. With Downing Street seemingly unable or unwilling to show resolve in the face of militancy, it’s no coincidence postal workers, nurses and civil servants are threatening to down tools over Christmas.

This is a concerted plan to cause maximum disruption at the most inconvenient time to the largest number of people. The unions are fighting a war against the Tories but the first casualties – as ever – are the long-suffering public.

There are only two years to the next election. The Tories must start using their massive majority productively.

Whether on the economy, housing, energy or immigration, they must push through legislation that benefits the country.

If Labour win power, it may be a generation before they get another chance.