Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Deal hope to stop Xmas train chaos
TRANSPORT Secretary Mark Harper has said there is a “deal to be done” to avert mass rail strikes in the build-up to Christmas. The remark came after a crunch meeting yesterday with the RMT boss Mick Lynch, who called the talks “positive”. He said Mr Harper, left, had “got rid of the bellicose nonsense” of predecessor Grant Shapps but stressed that strikes for December 13, 14, 16 and 17 and January 3, 4, 6 and 7 were still on. Asked whether they could be called off, he said “once bitten twice shy”. Two weeks ago the union suspended strike action to hold talks but no breakthrough was reached.