The RMT has released a statement regarding the ongoing dispute over pay and conditions, with a number of organisations sending in statements.
Mick Lynch has released a video statement (watchable below) and says that they have rejected documents for both guards and driver members after changes were made by the Rail Delivery Group.
In doing so, they have announced a new strike date set for the 13th May 2023 and comes just hours after ASLEF, the train drivers union, announced a fresh round of strike action.
However, Mark Harper has released a statement saying that the RMT are ‘snubbing’ passengers after announced a strike when the UK hosts the Eurovision song contest for the first time in 25 years.
Steve Montgomery, Chair of the Rail Delivery Group has said that nothing has changed in the offer that was agreed two weeks ago.
Here are some reaction statements that have been sent in.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “Passengers have been forced to endure the RMT’s strike action for almost a year, yet the RMT executive is intent on continuing to force its members to lose even more pay. That’s despite having a best and final offer, similar to the pay offer their Network Rail members recently voted to overwhelmingly accept.
“By yet again denying their members a chance to have a say, and then striking over the UK’s first Eurovision event in 25 years – hosted for Ukraine – the RMT are simply further snubbing the very passengers they serve.”
Steve Montgomery, Chair of the Rail Delivery Group said: “We are blindsided by the RMT executive’s announcement – nothing has changed in the offer agreed two weeks ago by the RMT leadership in the negotiating room.
“The RMT are negotiating in bad faith, again denying their members a say on a fair pay deal, needlessly disrupting the lives of millions of our passengers, and undermining the viability of an industry critical to Britain’s economy.”
Responses
The problem is that only unions in the public sector can afford to strike.In the private sector, rightly or wrongly, no one is in a union or if they are, they are not effective.
The model that the Country has chosen to run it’s railway was arrive at democraticly.Some rail operating companys are run by Government’ Operators of Last Resort company , the other have a Rail Operating Contract, which they are entitled to be paid for.They are not making fantastic profits.
The Conductor and Drivers get reasonable renumeration and the offers that have been put to them are fair.The problems is they want gold plated everything ( conditions, pensions no reasonable change of duties to adapt to changing conditions, in the public interest).Yes, it is also totally political.They want to run it themselves for their own benefit.To mess up cup final and Eurovision is evilly sinical.
I think that they should stop striking because people are getting fed up with the train companies going on strike every time and also how are people going to enjoy a nice day at the seaside later in the year
The two main issues/problems are that :
1: The Government/DfT and the RDG who are servants of the Government, have no leadership/expertise of complex Industrial relations negotiations with major experienced industrial TUs such as the RMT and ASLEF.
2: As far as the ToCs, the actual employers are concerned, they are rite out of the picture and have no say whatsoever.
There are 2 things that Lynch wants to do, get Labour in power, and route out the private rail companies. Both things will then give the unions the power to run the country.