In increasingly painful negotiations, the head of the RMT hit transport secretary Grant Shapps for “disrupting negotiations” in the pay, working conditions and proposed “modernization” plans to cut costs after the pandemic. Shapps said the RMT allegation was “a complete lie”, while Network Rail claimed the union had withdrawn from the talks. The rail industry has asked passengers to travel only if necessary on Thursday, when less than one in five trains in the UK are expected to run as 40,000 RMT members working for Network Rail and 13 train operators go on strike. Train services will be sporadic and will be limited to main lines and urban areas between 7.30 and 18.30. Drivers from the Aslef union will also join the strike on Thursday on the Greater Anglia network. RMT Secretary-General Mick Lynch blamed Transport Secretary for the failure of the talks: “Grant Shapps has ruined these negotiations by not allowing Network Rail to withdraw its letter threatening to fire 2,900 members. “Until the government releases Network Rail and the train companies, it will not be possible to reach an agreement through negotiations. “We will continue our industrial campaign until we reach a negotiated settlement that will provide job security and wage increases for our members facing the escalating cost of living crisis.” Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “This is a complete lie by RMT and its Secretary-General. “I had absolutely nothing to do with the letter sent by Network Rail, the employer, to RMT – nor with any request for its withdrawal.” In a letter to RMT’s management on Monday, Network Rail announced that it would begin a formal process that would allow 1,800 redundancies from July 1, incorporating mandatory redundancies if needed. He said he could no longer delay plans to reform maintenance regimes. Shapps added: “RMT continues to be distracted by the fact that they are the only ones responsible for the mass public unrest this week. “I want to urge Mick Leeds and his members to stop wasting time making false allegations in the media and instead return to the negotiating table to reach an agreement.” A spokesman for Network Rail said: “We are disappointed that RMT has again chosen to withdraw from the negotiations without reaching an agreement. “We remain available for talks – day or night – and we will do everything we can to avoid further inconvenience to our passengers.” A spokesman for Rail Delivery Group, representing the train operators, said: “We call on the RMT leadership to keep talking in order to secure a prosperous long-term future for the railway and its workforce.” The union rejected bids for wage increases of up to 3% from rail and train operators and has said it wants a cost-of-living arrangement more closely linked to the RPI inflation rate, which reached 11.7% on Wednesday. Merseyrail railroad workers at the TSSA union voted in favor of a 7.1% pay rise on Wednesday and RMT is believed to be looking for a similar offer nationwide. Although the government has refused to get involved in the negotiations, saying it was a matter for employers, the industry is currently funded by the Ministry of Finance. Downing Street said Wednesday that it would be “reckless” to raise public sector wages in line with inflation. Daily Business Today Email or follow the Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDesk The prime minister’s spokesman said: “It’s important to stress that this does not mean that we do not want to reward public sector workers by raising wages, we just do it. a global inflationary spiral that we can see. “ On the first day of the strike on Tuesday, which also coincided with the London Underground strike by another 10,000 RMT staff, it saw relatively few passengers trying to travel on the still-running route, but full of buses and congested roads around the capital. Elsewhere the congestion seemed slightly worse, with many people now able to work from home. Services were also suspended on Wednesday morning, between the first two of the three scheduled strike days this week, with a later start in many areas and about 60% of regular hours scheduled to run all day. However, the Great Western Railway said it was able to operate more “Glastonbury bids” to accommodate people traveling to the festival than in 2019, with nine departures from London Paddington to Castle Cary on Wednesday and five more scheduled for tomorrow. strike. Meanwhile, bus workers at Stagecoach in Merseyside have voted to go on strike by the end of next week. The strikers will take part in the ongoing strikes in Yorkshire by drivers and warehouse workers for Arriva, which have been shutting down several services across the county for more than two weeks. More Arriva staff across the north-west of England are voting on strike for pay.
