Stop rushing in to strikes! Shapps fury as rail walkouts to hit cost of living

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Furious MPs accused rail union the RMT of adding to the cost of living crisis by pushing up prices on the high street, with strike action set to disrupt both passenger and freight services.

Mr Shapps told the Sunday Express: “Unions should be around the table, helping to work out a fair deal for staff, passengers, and taxpayers – not rushing into strikes which will disrupt services and endanger the essential movement of freight.

“Meanwhile, we are working with the rail industry and Network Rail to minimise disruption where possible and keep critical freight moving.”

The Government is working with rail managers on emergency plans to keep vital freight trains running when unions stage their walkout later this month.

Rail is used to carry non-perishable supermarket staples such as tinned food or coffee as well as materials used in industries such as construction and steel, and goods worth around £30 billion are transported each year.

Maggie Simpson, Director General of industry body the Rail Freight Group, said last night: “Everyone is going to work as hard as they can on this but I couldn’t put my hand up and say there won’t be some products that aren’t available on shelves.

She added: “If you look back to before Christmas, when we were seeing supply chain disruption across the economy, I think that kind of disruption is probably likely.”

The RMT is to shut down the nation’s railways on June 21, 23 and 25, when more than 50,000 workers are due to walk out. This is expected to cause six days of disruption for freight deliveries, because trains due to run overnight or in the early hours of the day following strike action will also be affected.

Union leaders say staff working for train operators and Network Rail, the Government-owned business that manages rail infrastructure, have been subjected to multi-year pay freezes and face plans to cut thousands of jobs.

The Rail Freight Group, which represents rail freight operators, logistics companies and ports, is working with Network Rail and the government to identify the most vital freight deliveries due to take place during the strike period.

Key freight services will be rescheduled to run during the limited period that the network is operating. They will be given priority over passenger services, leading to even fewer trains being available for commuters.

Jake Kelly, Network Rail’s Network Operations Director, said: “We are working nonstop to keep nationally important freight flows – including supermarket supplies and fuel – moving during strike action.”

London Underground will also be affected by an RMT and Unite strike on June 21, while Aslef members on Hull Trains, Greater Anglia and the Croydon Tramlink will stage a series of walkouts between June 23 and July 14.

Further rail disruption is likely after the Transport Salaried Staffs Association announced it was to ballot members working for CrossCountry, East Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast and West Midlands Trains.

Former Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey urged the Government to consider banning strike action on the rail network. She said: “Isn’t it about time the railways were treated as being strategically vital and workers were banned from strike action? This should be a priority for a Conservative government with a majority of over 70.”

Conservative MP Julian Knight said: “It’s entirely unacceptable to hold the country to ransom in this way, particularly as people are already struggling with the cost of living and the economy is just getting back on its feet following the pandemic.”

Labour was under pressure after Shadow Levelling Up Secretary Lisa Nandy sparked outrage by backing the RMT. Asked last week whether she supported the strikes, she said: “I’ve stood with our rail workers just like I stood with junior doctors when they protested against the treatment that was being meted out to them by the Government, and our nurses as well.”

The comments appeared to contradict the party’s official position. A Labour spokesman said: “We’ve been clear in the position that the strikes shouldn’t go ahead. Nobody wants to see industrial action that is disruptive.”

Tory MPs demanded Labour back businesses and passengers by opposing industrial action. Conservative former Transport Secretary Patrick McCloughlin said: “I think this is a defining moment for the Labour party. Are they a party that’s going back to the 1970s and 1980s?”

Conservative MP Brendan Clarke-Smith said: “It is truly shocking that the opposition supports this outrageous strike and that they have sent Lisa Nandy out to defend the sort of action that should have been confined to the 1970s.”

However, some backbench Labour MPs spoke in support of unions. MP Khalid Mahmood said: “If the Government refuses to allow sensible negotiations to take place and refuses arbitration then the workers have little choice but to exercise their legal right to withdraw their labour.”

Fellow Labour MP Emma Lewell-Buck said: “They are fighting for better rights for the workers right across the rail network. This isn’t just about the train drivers, it’s about everyone who works there. We are in the middle of a cost of living crisis and every worker is entitled to stand up for their rights.

“Everyone wanted to avoid a strike and it is the last option, but they have had to do this.”

An RMT spokesperson said: “We don’t want to cause anyone disruption, but industrial action has to be effective if it is going to make the rail bosses sit up and come to a negotiated settlement with the RMT.

“All those affected by our proposed strike action, should direct their anger and frustration at the government and the rail industry for failing to give railway workers a decent pay rise and proposing to cut thousands of jobs on the network.”





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