So who is REALLY running railways?
As another operator loses licence, critics point to union call for £500-a-shift drivers’ overtime
MINISTERS were yesterday accused of appeasing militant union barons after nationalising a fourth rail operator.
Union bosses and Labour MPs gloated as Transport Secretary Mark Harper announced he was stripping TransPennine Express (TPE) of its contract by not renewing it this month.
Control of the operator, which connects cities in northern England and Scotland, will be seized by the Government, also known as the ‘operator of last resort’.
It comes after months of cancelled trains and poor performance, with about one in six TPE services axed in March.
But industry sources say that train drivers’ union Aslef has run the operator into the ground with ‘a political industrial relations campaign’ aimed at getting the railways renationalised.
Last month Aslef ended a 16month ban on TPE train drivers working overtime after a deal was reached – only to impose another ban on the same day. The deal would see drivers work on days off for 175 per cent of their normal rate – or more than £500 a shift. This is in addition to their £58,000 salaries for a four-day week.
But Aslef announced the ban on overtime working would continue shortly after signing the deal in a fresh row over giving drivers more freedom to book holidays.
TPE argues it has enough drivers to deliver a near-full timetable if overtime working, an industry norm for many years, is allowed.
A senior rail source told the Mail: ‘Aslef will feel that they’ve claimed a scalp in what is ultimately a political industrial relations campaign to force the railways back into public ownership.
‘People will be left asking “who really runs the railway?”, because actually the signal that the Secretary of State has sent is a really bad one for the private sector – why would you be bidding for contracts if a union can cause enough damage that the Government will just take it away from you?
‘It will make the current dispute harder to resolve and encourage them to target other operators.’
Another industry source said: ‘This is a massive win for people who want to renationalise the railways, and a Tory Government has handed it to them on a plate. Aslef cannot be allowed to hold the Government and the railway to ransom.’
Ministers are thought to have taken the decision after coming under pressure from backbench Tory MPs in ‘Red Wall’ areas who fear losing their seats to Labour after last week’s disastrous local election results.
Mr Harper’s approach contrasts to his predecessor-but-one, Grant Shapps, who refused to cave in to union demands.
Mr Harper admitted yesterday that the move will not improve services for some time.
He said: ‘This is not a silver bullet and will not instantaneously fix a number of challenges being faced, including Aslef’s actions which are preventing TransPennine Express from being able to run a full service – once again highlighting why it’s so important that the railways move to a seven-day working week. We have played our part, but Aslef now needs to play theirs by calling off strikes and the rest day working ban.’
Frustrated passengers outside Leeds station recounted tales of months of last-minute cancellations causing havoc, but said they were ‘not holding their breath’ for any immediate change. Carl Heaton, 32, from Leeds, said: ‘I’m a regular TPE customer and have the battle scars to prove it. It’s often just a lottery whether a train comes or not.
‘It’s the right thing to do but should have been done a long while ago. I can’t really see how anyone can turn it round quickly, though.’
Trish Howard, 44, from York, said: ‘The whole system across the North has been a mess for years. Something had to be done but it’s a big job for someone.
‘I’m guessing whoever takes over isn’t going to sort it out overnight, so I’m not holding my breath that it’ll get any better.’
Labour has said it will renationalise the railways if it wins the next election.
TPE, owned by FirstGroup, which also runs Avanti, said that after a recovery plan was agreed in February, cancellations have fallen by around 40 per cent.
FirstGroup boss Graham Sutherland said: ‘ Today’s decision does not alter our belief in the important role of private rail operators in the delivery of vital, environmentally friendly transport for customers and communities across the UK.’
‘Aslef is holding the railway to ransom’