Transport secretary Mark Harper has said that the claim by rail union bosses that the government is preventing a settlement to the ongoing rail strikes “absolutely isn’t true”.
This comes as industrial action on the nation’s railways resumes on Tuesday with both the government and union leaders facing mounting pressure to do a deal. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at Network Rail and 14 train operators are staging a 48-hour walkout from today. They will stage a second 48-hour walkout from Friday.
Meanwhile, a strike by drivers in the Aslef union on Thursday will affect 15 operators.
The combined action makes this the worst week of rail disruption for 30 years.
Commenting on the ongoing disruption, Mr Harper urged unions to get “round the negotiating table”.
The transport secretary said: “I think it is time that the RMT got off the picket line and round the negotiating table to try and hammer out a deal with the train operating companies and Network Rail”.
Asked about the claim advanced by RMT general secretary Mick Lynch that the government is blocking a settlement, the transport secretary told Sky News: “No, that absolutely isn’t true. And in fact, since I became transport secretary a couple of months ago, I met all the union leaders. I tried to change the tone of the discussions and I said that ministers would help facilitate the trade unions and the employers. That’s the train operating companies, Network Rail, getting around the table”.
“I made sure there was a new and improved offer that went to trade union members. That’s why two of the unions have settled with Network Rail”.
Mr Lynch has previously admonished “an unprecedented level of ministerial interference” in the negotiations, which he insisted was intended to “block the union’s attempts to reach a negotiated settlement with the rail employers”.
He accused the government of “hamstringing rail employers from being able to negotiate a package of measures with us, so we can settle this dispute”.
Aslef general secretary Mike Whelan has also accused the government of blocking progress in negotiations. He told Sky News: “The train companies say their hands have been tied by the government. While the government, which does not employ us, says it’s up to the companies to negotiate with us”.
“We are always happy to negotiate — we never refuse to sit down at the table and talk, but these companies have offered us nothing, and that is unacceptable.”
The government has now said that it fears that millions of passengers will shun the railway altogether because of the rolling industrial action.
A government source told The Times: “This is an act of self-harm – a generation of passengers will just write off the railways. We’re talking about permanent scarring”.
