With 40,000 rail workers on strike for three days this week, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps insisted it was not the government’s job to negotiate with unions over wages, conditions, job cuts and security. But Jake Berry, a Conservative MP and former Railroad minister, was among those who said ministers should talk to train operators and the state-owned Network Rail unions. The strike is set to begin on Tuesday, followed by further strikes on Thursday and Saturday, with RMT members leaving. Due to the interruption of the itineraries, a special schedule will be valid from Monday, with limited afternoon services, until Sunday. About 20% of trains will run on main lines and urban areas. RMT and Unite are also holding a separate 24-hour strike on the London Underground on Tuesday, which will cause a huge uproar in the London Underground. There have been many warnings from union leaders in recent weeks about the prospect of further labor action this year, as wage agreements fall far short of a more than 10% spike in inflation. Care workers, civil servants, teachers and garbage collectors are among those likely to vote for strikes in the coming months. RMT general secretary Mick Leeds also raised the prospect of a rolling train strike program if the dispute is not resolved. He told Sky News: “If there is no settlement, we will continue our campaign.” He said: “I believe that there will be many unions that will vote all over the country because the people can no longer stand it. We have people doing full-time jobs who have to receive state benefits and use food banks. That’s a national shame. “ On Sunday night, a railway industry source said there was a “party of hope” for a resolution, with talks between the rail industry and the unions continuing into the night after the start at 2 p.m. However, the two sides were still very different on many of the key issues. The strikes also involve railway cleaners, customer service assistants and ticket office staff, who earn far less than the average wage worker and are expected to lose most of their income in real pay cuts. Labor leader Kir Starmer also accused Saps of wanting to continue the strikes to sow discord – a claim the transport minister dismissed as “crazy”. Speaking at a local government conference on Sunday, Starmer said: “They want the country to stop, so that they can fuel the division. Instead of spending their time this week around the negotiating table, they plan attack ads. “Instead of talking to adults to get the heat out of the situation, they are throwing gasoline on the fire. “Instead of bringing people together for the national interest, they are inciting division for their political interest.” But Shapps insisted the RMT union’s request for a meeting was a “trick” and the union was “determined to go on strike”. “In what kind of crazy world would one want to see our transport sector stop?” he said, stressing students who can not attend exams and people who are likely to miss their hospital appointments and have difficulty getting to work. He told the BBC that RMT was “nostalgic for the strength of the unions in the 1970s, when they went and had sandwiches at No. 10 – – we will not go back to those days”. The Conservatives have consistently tried to link the union-backed Labor Party to the strikes, although Starmer has repeatedly said he believes the departures should not happen. Scheduled strikes will see six days off, with trains limited to one per hour between 7.30am. and 6.30 p.m. on long-distance and urban routes. Services will start later and will be reduced in the coming days. The action is taken by the staff of Network Rail and the staff of the ship and the station that works for 13 train operators in England. RMT said thousands of jobs were at risk in maintenance roles and that ticket office closures were planned in addition to wage freezes in a period of high inflation. The Sunday Times reported this weekend that there are plans to close all ticket offices by September in a bid to save 500 500 million. The beacon strike will have the biggest impact, especially in more rural areas – leading to line closures in places, including Wales, where there is no direct disagreement with the train operator. Most pilots have told passengers to travel only if necessary on strike days. Northern Rail advised passengers not to attempt to travel for the entire week.
