Transport secretary calls strikes ‘a stunt’Speaking on Sky News this morning, transport secretary Grant Schapps said government is not going to get involved as it would “make matters worse”, and added that employers are the ones with the mandate and technical details to negotiate.
Schapps, while mentioning other junior doctor, firefighter and postal workers disputes that were resolved without government involvement, said:
this is a stunt, which I’m afraid you’re falling for, by the unions and the labour party — the labour party who wont even condemn these strikes today, and the unions who only last month were saying they would not negotiate with the government, and have suddenly decided, running out of things to say, that they’ll suddenly call on ministers to talk to them and walk in the room with them directly. It wouldn’t resolve anything in fact it would make matters worse and thats why i’m not in the room.
Earlier on the program Schapps said it’s “time to get this strike settled” and called on the unions to come back to the negotiating table.
The National Rail Enquiries website has stopped workingPassengers attempting to use the service to find out what trains are running during the rail strike are being shown a message stating: “500 Internal Server Error”, PA reports.
Transport secretary calls strikes ‘a stunt’Speaking on Sky News this morning, transport secretary Grant Schapps said government is not going to get involved as it would “make matters worse”, and added that employers are the ones with the mandate and technical details to negotiate.
Schapps, while mentioning other junior doctor, firefighter and postal workers disputes that were resolved without government involvement, said:
this is a stunt, which I’m afraid you’re falling for, by the unions and the labour party — the labour party who wont even condemn these strikes today, and the unions who only last month were saying they would not negotiate with the government, and have suddenly decided, running out of things to say, that they’ll suddenly call on ministers to talk to them and walk in the room with them directly. It wouldn’t resolve anything in fact it would make matters worse and thats why i’m not in the room.
Earlier on the program Schapps said it’s “time to get this strike settled” and called on the unions to come back to the negotiating table.
UK rail strikes: what is happening?How severe will the impact be?
About 4,500 services will run on Tuesday compared with the 20,000 that would normally be expected.
About half of all rail lines will be closed completely, and the timetable will start later and finish earlier than usual, running from 7.30am to 6.30am. Services in Scotland and Wales will be severely affected despite operators not being directly involved because they rely on Network Rail staff to function.
The impact is also expected to run into Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday – non-strike days – because overnight maintenance work will not take place ahead of the usual timetable. There are knock-on effects on other forms of transport, with warnings of overcrowding on buses and greatly increased motorway traffic.
What are the strikes about?
Pay and conditions. Commuter habits which changed over lockdown have not fully returned to normal, meaning that revenues have been reduced. The industry says it needs to act to reach a “sustainable footing”.
Meanwhile, the RMT says that Network Rail is threatening to cut safety-critical jobs (Network Rail rejects that characterisation) as part of its modernisation programme, which would also include an increase in working hours. And with inflation soaring, the union is asking for a pay rise that mitigates the pain for its members. Against an inflation rate heading towards 11%, the union wants a rise of 7%, and has already rejected a Network Rail offer of a 2% rise with a further 1% tied to job cuts.
What do the rail companies and the government say?
They argue that the railways were subsidised to the tune of £16bn during the pandemic, and that with annual running costs at £20bn and income from fares just £4bn, the union’s demands are simply not feasible. Network Rail says that modernisation is essential to keep the system on its feet, and says that, for example, the maintenance of ticket offices with very few customers when an automated option could be used instead is “frankly Victorian”.
What do the unions and the opposition say?
The union says that members deserved recognition for work that “kept the country moving through the pandemic”, and argues that they are simply seeking to protect their existing terms and minimise the real-term pay cut caused by inflation.
Labour, meanwhile, has adopted a variety of positions over the strikes, and frustrated unions with its lukewarm support. Frontbenchers tend to argue that they do not want them to happen, but that they are ultimately the government’s fault.
Last night, Keir Starmer’s office told shadow cabinet members that to “show leadership” frontbenchers “should not be on picket lines”.
Read more from Archie Bland here:
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jun/21/uk-rail-strikes-what-is-happening-today
Good morning. The first day of this week’s strike for RMT staff on the rail network and on the London Underground will be the biggest strike on the railways since 1989.
Strikes are due to cause the cancellation of about 80% of train services today, with further action scheduled for Thursday and Saturday, after talks between rail operators and the RMT union broke down. London Underground workers will also walk out for 24 hours on Tuesday. The RMT union leadership warning that industrial action will “run as long as it needs to run”.
Yesterday Boris Johnson responded with plans to break the industrial action by allowing firms to bring in agency staff, a move unions have decried as unworkable, unsafe and potentially breaking international law.
Unions warned Johnson’s measure would make disputes long and bitter, with the Trades Union Congress (TUC) accusing Johnson of taking a step that “even Margaret Thatcher did not go near”.
Read more from my colleagues here: