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Grant Shapps has ruled out meeting rail unions, as RMT members went on strike on Wednesday.
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“This is just a game by the unions,” the transport secretary said in an interview on Sky News.
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Pickets were set up outside train stations across the country on Wednesday morning as RMT members at Network Rail and 14 train operators went on strike over jobs, pay, pensions and conditions.
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The RMT’s union leader said there’s no deal that was “ever acceptable to us”.
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When asked by the BBC’s flagship morning news programme, Radio 4’s Today, if there was a deal done that he’s countered, the RMT union leader Mick Lynch said “no, that’s just propaganda plain and simple”. Lynch said they put the deal to our members in mass meetings of their representatives across the country.
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Lynch said the proposals they have at the moment are unacceptable, and said the decision is not in the hands of a secret body, but in the hands of “the ordinary men and women who make up our union” out striking today.
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“It’s quite difficult being a trade union in this country, it feels quite oppressive,” added Lynch. “This is not about power, it’s about jobs, conditions, pay and pensions.”
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When asked if they’re getting support they ought to from the Labour party, Lynch said Keir Starmer needs to get in tune with where working class people are “because they’re being ripped off in this society at the minute.”
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Lynch called on Starmer to come up with a bill of rights and a set of employment laws that “bring balance to our society, and rebalance our economy.”
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Good morning. The railways will again grind to a halt on Wednesday as workers strike over pay, job security and working conditions.
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The strikes involve more than 40,000 workers at Network Rail, 14 train companies, and members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT).
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Transport for London services will be affected by the disruption as it uses sections of track that comes under Network Rail’s jurisdiction. There will also be a stoppage by members of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA), who work for the Avanti West Coast firm.
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“Network Rail have not made any improvement on their previous pay offer and the train companies have not offered us anything new,” said the RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch. “The government need to stop their interference in this dispute so the rail employers can come to a negotiated settlement with us.”
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Today’s strike came after union leaders rejected a “paltry” offer of a 4% pay rise for the remainder of 2022 from Network Rail, and a possible 4% next year if workers accepted changes in working conditions.
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After the strike announcement, Network Rail accused the union of “walking away” from talks and said the action could have been avoided. “It’s now abundantly clear that their political campaign is taking precedence over representing their members’ interests,” said Tim Shoveller, Network Rail’s lead negotiator.
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Read more here:
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Key events
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Grant Shapps has ruled out meeting rail unions, as RMT members went on strike on Wednesday.
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“This is just a game by the unions,” the transport secretary said in an interview on Sky News.
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Pickets were set up outside train stations across the country on Wednesday morning as RMT members at Network Rail and 14 train operators went on strike over jobs, pay, pensions and conditions.
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The RMT’s union leader said there’s no deal that was “ever acceptable to us”.
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When asked by the BBC’s flagship morning news programme, Radio 4’s Today, if there was a deal done that he’s countered, the RMT union leader Mick Lynch said “no, that’s just propaganda plain and simple”. Lynch said they put the deal to our members in mass meetings of their representatives across the country.
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Lynch said the proposals they have at the moment are unacceptable, and said the decision is not in the hands of a secret body, but in the hands of “the ordinary men and women who make up our union” out striking today.
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“It’s quite difficult being a trade union in this country, it feels quite oppressive,” added Lynch. “This is not about power, it’s about jobs, conditions, pay and pensions.”
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When asked if they’re getting support they ought to from the Labour party, Lynch said Keir Starmer needs to get in tune with where working class people are “because they’re being ripped off in this society at the minute.”
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Lynch called on Starmer to come up with a bill of rights and a set of employment laws that “bring balance to our society, and rebalance our economy.”
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Good morning. The railways will again grind to a halt on Wednesday as workers strike over pay, job security and working conditions.
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The strikes involve more than 40,000 workers at Network Rail, 14 train companies, and members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT).
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Transport for London services will be affected by the disruption as it uses sections of track that comes under Network Rail’s jurisdiction. There will also be a stoppage by members of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA), who work for the Avanti West Coast firm.
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“Network Rail have not made any improvement on their previous pay offer and the train companies have not offered us anything new,” said the RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch. “The government need to stop their interference in this dispute so the rail employers can come to a negotiated settlement with us.”
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Today’s strike came after union leaders rejected a “paltry” offer of a 4% pay rise for the remainder of 2022 from Network Rail, and a possible 4% next year if workers accepted changes in working conditions.
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After the strike announcement, Network Rail accused the union of “walking away” from talks and said the action could have been avoided. “It’s now abundantly clear that their political campaign is taking precedence over representing their members’ interests,” said Tim Shoveller, Network Rail’s lead negotiator.
","elementId":"3ddb0ba7-13d3-4ccc-aba8-82af88d3d5ac"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"
Read more here:
","elementId":"0fab033e-e2dd-4797-862a-e1a1af45d704"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jul/27/uk-railways-disrupted-again-as-workers-strike-over-pay-and-conditions","text":"Train strikes: UK railways disrupted again as workers take action over pay and conditions","prefix":"Related: ","role":"inline","elementId":"b82615a5-eab1-4eb3-9bc9-7bc99b114ca0"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1658905510000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"08.05 BST","blockLastUpdated":1658905508000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"08.05 BST","blockFirstPublished":1658905510000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"08.05 BST","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"08.05","title":"Strike action begins","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Wed 27 Jul 2022 10.23 BST","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Wed 27 Jul 2022 08.05 BST"}],"filterKeyEvents":false,"id":"key-events-carousel-mobile"}” readability=”1″>
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Transport secretary rules out meeting unions
Grant Shapps has ruled out meeting rail unions, as RMT members went on strike on Wednesday.
“This is just a game by the unions,” the transport secretary said in an interview on Sky News.
Pickets were set up outside train stations across the country on Wednesday morning as RMT members at Network Rail and 14 train operators went on strike over jobs, pay, pensions and conditions.
Here are the latest photos coming in from the wires:
I have a ticket but my train has been cancelled or moved to a different time – what are my rights?
If a train serving any part of your journey (outbound or return) has been cancelled or rescheduled you are entitled to a full refund from wherever you bought the ticket. There should be no fee for this. The National Rail website has a dedicated advice section for affected travellers which is a good place to start, while MoneySavingExpert also has a guide on how to claim.
Can I travel on another day?
Yes. If you have an advance, off-peak or anytime ticket for the day of the strike it will be valid for travel up to and including Tuesday 2 August. There is no need to change the date on the ticket. However, you should double-check the train company’s website as there are some exceptions. Avanti West Coast, for example, has given customers with tickets for travel from 26 to 28 July until 29 July to travel.
… or travel on another train service?
If you really need to travel on one of the strike days it may be possible to switch train companies or routes but your options will be limited. A revised timetable has been published and you should contact the relevant train company to find out your options.
I have a season ticket – will I be entitled to a full refund?
Only if your season ticket is valid for a month or longer. If that is the case, you can apply for a full refund for the strike days via the industry’s delay repay compensation scheme.
What if I bought my ticket through a third party like Trainline?
Trainline said it would contact customers with an online refund for cancelled or rescheduled trains. If your train is unaffected by the strikes but your plans have changed, you can reschedule your journey at no cost or cancel it, but there may be admin fees.
Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA), told the PA news agency:
Our members in Avanti West Coast are out on strike because the deep cost-of-living crisis that the Tories have created is meaning that they’re losing purchasing power. Of course many of them have not had a pay increase not just this year, not just last year, but up to four years. So, clearly, like the rest of the country, they are feeling the pinch and it’s just getting to the point where it’s unbearable.
What strike action is expected to take place later this summer?
Further rail strikes are already planned for the coming weeks in what is looking like a summer of discontent.
About 6,000 train drivers belonging to the Aslef union across eight train companies will join the rail dispute when they strike on 30 July.
A repeat of Wednesday’s action by RMT members at Network Rail and 14 train companies is planned for 18 and 20 August. Tube workers will also take strike action again on 19 August.
Emily Dugan
Grant Shapps has escalated the government’s confrontation with the rail unions by ruling out meeting with them, as a shadow minister said “lives could be lost” if wages did not improve.
Labour’s Sam Tarry defied his party leadership to stand on the picket line at Euston on Wednesday morning while rail strikes disrupted travel for millions.
The transport secretary ruled out any meeting with rail unions, even if the situation continued or escalated, in an interview with Sky News on Wednesday morning. Shapps said he was “not the right person to be in the room negotiating”.
Read more from my colleague Emily Dugan here:
Here’s the latest TfL update:
Bakerloo — Part suspended. There is no service between Queen’s Park and Harrow & Wealdstone.
District — Minor delays between Turnham Green and Richmond.
Elizabeth Line — Minor delays. A reduced service is operating between Paddington/Heathrow and Reading also between Liverpool Street and Shenfield.
London overground — Part suspended. No service Barking to Barking Riverside, Surrey Quays to New Cross, Kilburn High Road to Euston, Romford to Upminster and Camden Road to Stratford
The Central, Circle, Hammersmith & City, Jubilee, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly, Victoria, Waterloo & City, DLR and Tram lines are currently operating in good service.
Writing in the Telegraph yesterday, the secretary of state for transport, Grant Shapps said “we must complete Thatcher’s unfinished business.”
In his “prescription” for curbing union power abuse, which involves as many as 16 measures, Shapps wrote:
I’m looking at banning strikes by different unions in the same workplace within a set period. We should also place an absolute limit of six pickets at points of Critical National Infrastructure, irrespective of the number of unions involved, and outlaw intimidatory language.
Shapps also said ballot papers should set out clearly the specific reason for industrial action and the form of action to be taken, and a minimum 50 per cent of those voting for industrial action in a ballot.
Here are the latest photos from the wires:
The secretary of state for transport, Grant Shapps said “passengers are being taken for a ride” by these “extreme hard left unions.”
Speaking with Radio 4’s Today, Shapps said there was a deal of 8% over two years, adding things were “going well” in the room, but was rejected before getting out to members.
Shapps said there hasn’t been a single day in three years where there hasn’t either been a strike or the threat of strike action with a mandate for it. Shapps said it demonstrates “we have the balance in the wrong place.”
When asked why he won’t negotiate directly with Mick Lynch, Shapps said:
This is just a game by the unions, they play it in every single industrial action…It’s simply because the only people who can settle these disputes are the employers with the unions.”
When asked if he was going down the road of legislation to make it more difficult to strike, Shapps responded “yes, and we’ve already started to do that.” Two changes have been made to the law already, said Shapps, such as the ability to bring in agency staff from other areas of the railway.
Shadow transport minister Sam Tarry joined striking workers on the picket line at Euston station, despite Keir Starmer’s orders to stay away, PA reports.
Tarry told ITV’s Good Morning Britain:
If we don’t make a stand today, people’s lives could be lost. Some of the lowest-paid workers are on strike today in the rail industry, safety critical workers, workers who make sure our railways get people to work and do so safely.
“It can’t be accepted anymore, that people just have to accept that inflation is out of control. The Government’s doing nothing on the cost-of-living crisis.”
He added that if Starmer was in government right now, the dispute wouldn’t be happening.
“I have absolutely 100% confidence that any Labour Party MP would be in support of striking workers who have given up a day’s pay, a week’s pay or even longer,” added Tarry.
When asked by BBC Breakfast if Keir Starmer should be there, Tarry said:
I think any Labour MP or Labour member, the half million of us across the country, will have absolute solidarity with striking doctors. Whether they be doctors, whether they be teachers, whether they’re people in the postal sector, because the thing people in this country are fed up with is 10 years of austerity followed by out of control inflation.
'I'm here as Shadow Transport Minister backing transport workers who are on strike'
Labour's @SamTarry is on the @RMTUnion picket line today.
He spoke to #BBCBreakfast on why he's ignoring a call from leader Keir Starmer not to do sohttps://t.co/6fPS8IAnBB pic.twitter.com/2nw9pjQAog— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) July 27, 2022
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Mick Lynch: there has not been an offer that was ‘ever acceptable to us’
The RMT’s union leader said there’s no deal that was “ever acceptable to us”.
When asked by the BBC’s flagship morning news programme, Radio 4’s Today, if there was a deal done that he’s countered, the RMT union leader Mick Lynch said “no, that’s just propaganda plain and simple”. Lynch said they put the deal to our members in mass meetings of their representatives across the country.
Lynch said the proposals they have at the moment are unacceptable, and said the decision is not in the hands of a secret body, but in the hands of “the ordinary men and women who make up our union” out striking today.
“It’s quite difficult being a trade union in this country, it feels quite oppressive,” added Lynch. “This is not about power, it’s about jobs, conditions, pay and pensions.”
When asked if they’re getting support they ought to from the Labour party, Lynch said Keir Starmer needs to get in tune with where working class people are “because they’re being ripped off in this society at the minute.”
Lynch called on Starmer to come up with a bill of rights and a set of employment laws that “bring balance to our society, and rebalance our economy.”
Speaking with the BBC’s flagship morning news programme, Radio 4’s Today, Network Rail’s chief executive said he believed RMT negotiators were being overruled by those at the top of the union, and the deal should be put to the membership.
Andrew Haines said:
We think we were making good progress, and this has happened twice now, when the negotiators go back to talk to the RMT executive, we suddenly get a shift in tone and we end up with more strikes.
Strike action begins
Good morning. The railways will again grind to a halt on Wednesday as workers strike over pay, job security and working conditions.
The strikes involve more than 40,000 workers at Network Rail, 14 train companies, and members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT).
Transport for London services will be affected by the disruption as it uses sections of track that comes under Network Rail’s jurisdiction. There will also be a stoppage by members of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA), who work for the Avanti West Coast firm.
“Network Rail have not made any improvement on their previous pay offer and the train companies have not offered us anything new,” said the RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch. “The government need to stop their interference in this dispute so the rail employers can come to a negotiated settlement with us.”
Today’s strike came after union leaders rejected a “paltry” offer of a 4% pay rise for the remainder of 2022 from Network Rail, and a possible 4% next year if workers accepted changes in working conditions.
After the strike announcement, Network Rail accused the union of “walking away” from talks and said the action could have been avoided. “It’s now abundantly clear that their political campaign is taking precedence over representing their members’ interests,” said Tim Shoveller, Network Rail’s lead negotiator.
Read more here:
Source: Guardian
