The transport secretary has told railway officials not to “risk losing their jobs” just days before industrial action, which will close much of the railway line next week.
In a speech in which Grant Schaps said he was “appealing directly to workers” instead of unions, he said the strikes were “an attempt to thwart reforms that are crucial to the network’s future and are designed to do as much damage as possible.” the worst moment. “
Network Rail bosses estimate that next week’s stops by RMT members of its signaling and maintenance staff across the UK, as well as on-board and station staff working for 13 train operators in England, will cost the industry around £ 150 million. lost revenue.
Speaking at a Siemens train depot in north London, Shaps said he wanted to see staff salaries increase, but added: “Salaries need to keep pace with the wider public sector.
He declined to say what a fair level of pay would be, but this week highlighted the 7 per cent increase in a decade that police receive and the salaries of nurses, which are 30 per cent lower than the average railway worker.
Schaps said: “Today the railway is in battle. It not only competes with other forms of public and private transport. It’s a battle with Zoom, Teams and remote work. “
After the pandemic, he said, the strikes “will lose even more passengers, more revenue … and potentially lose thousands of railway jobs.”
He added: “Don’t risk being fired. Don’t stand up to the public. ” Interrogated afterwards, Shaps said the words “are not a threat, this is a statement of reality”.
He reiterated the idea that the agency’s staff could be used if the strikes were extended. “Transferable skills, sometimes called agency work, will be something that will become available in this particular dispute.”
Network Rail said the cost of training agency workers “would be prohibitive” for most roles.
The transport secretary again ruled out joining the ongoing negotiations to resolve the dispute, saying it was a matter for employers.
However, several sources in the railways said they were not free to offer an increase in staff salaries and were bound by the finance ministry. Railway contracts following the coronavirus pandemic are tightly controlled by the government, with companies paying a management fee and collecting no revenue.
Mick Lynch, RMT’s secretary general, said: “Grant Shaps’ threats to the livelihood of railway workers and their right to strike today are disgraceful and will make RMT members even more determined to win this dispute.
TSSA union leader Manuel Cortes said: “Unfortunately and perhaps predictably, what we heard from the transport secretary sounded a lot like threats and intimidation of workers instead of constructive dialogue.
The union, which voted for Network Rail and some senior train operators and may go on strike next month, said the transport ministry did not allow train operators to make pay offers or job security guarantees. questioning what can be achieved through negotiations.
It says many railway workers, such as customer service staff, have been underpaid, with LNER members receiving just over the full-time minimum wage of £ 18,278, while many station staff are paid of about £ 24,000.
The unions said the government was trying to extract political capital from the strike instead of seeking a solution. The Conservatives are seeking to link Labor to the rebellion against pay, with campaign emails calling for support for “stopping Labor strikes” and MPs posting on Twitter with the hashtag #StopLabourStrikes.
Labor said the ministers were provoking, not resolving, the dispute. Louise Hay, the shadow transport secretary, said: “Not only are the ministers boycotting the talks, but they are tying the hands of those at the table.
“Ministers have the power to resolve this dispute, so it is completely farcical that they have not spent a second in negotiations since March. The government must avoid these strikes and public unrest. But with each passing day, it is becoming clearer that ministers prefer to provoke this dispute than to move a finger to resolve it.
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The three upcoming 24-hour strikes of 40,000 RMT members will cause disruption for almost a week. The passes are on June 21, 23 and 25, and a special schedule will be in effect from June 20 to 26. Several operators have already told passengers not to try to travel on strike days.
Much of the UK will have no passenger services at all on strike days, when around 20% of trains will run on major lines and urban areas. Services will start later in the morning and will be limited to about 60% of the normal schedule in the coming days.
A separate strike on the London Underground will also stop much of the capital’s transport on Tuesday, with overhead lines and Elizabeth affected by the national strike throughout the week.
The inter-channel operator Eurostar has confirmed that it will also have to cancel trains early in the morning and late in the evening due to the strike – about three to five services a day.
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