Time to strike out

Rail action vindicates Ministers

PERHAPS THE most predicable event, at the end of a momentous week in politics, was the RMT’s decision to time a strike so that it causes maximum disruption to the travel plans of many over the May Bank Holiday weekend.

The union’s leaders remain out of touch with reality – the offer on the table from Network Rail would have seen 16,000 staff given an extra £500 and pay increases for the next three years linked to the RPI inflation rate. This deal is also at odds with the real world experience of many in the private sector.

Even though the number of members endorsing this action meets the new turnout threshold proposed by the Government, this should not preclude Ministers from tabling the necessary legislation in the Queen’s Speech – the country cannot afford to be held to ransom by such unreasonable demands. As such, the only consolation is that Ed Miliband is not in 10 Downing Street signing off blank cheques to the RMT and its cohorts.