Mr Lynch also claimed that the railway industry was trying to extend the 35-hour week for new employees – resulting in lower pay agreements – and that his union wanted assurances that there would be no forced redundancies amid future job cuts. An RMT source said it was “not entirely clear” that the union was calling for a wage increase to match inflation and suggested other incentives could be put in place. But RMT is adamant that it needs job security assurances before reaching any agreement, including modernization agreements. “If our members do not have a job, modernization means absolutely nothing,” the source said.
Modernization is required
Network Rail, which has taken the lead in the negotiations, with train operators working in the background, said savings could only be made by reaching an agreement on modernizing union work practices. This includes limiting on-line inspections and using automated cameras to detect cracks in rails and other safety issues. Network Rail believes it could save hundreds of millions of pounds that could be spent on staff in salary increases more generously than the base two percent currently on the table. The RMT does not have the full support of the other railway unions, which are also threatening to go on strike, but they seem to be more negotiable. A union source said: “It’s convenient for RMT to man the roadblocks and have a little class war and talk about a general strike. Like John Lewis, RMT never sells anything knowingly. The other side of the argument suits Grant Shapps [the Transport secretary] to claim that the unions are all against us. “But not all the railway unions are going to fall into the trap of the bear set by the government. “We are not trying to overthrow the government.”
