Transport secretary: Minimum service level laws not happening anytime soon December 7, 2022 The government’s legislation on guaranteeing minimum service levels during strike days will not be debated anytime soon, according to transport secretary Mark Harper. Introduced in Parliament following this summer’s rail strikes, the bill’s second reading hasn’t happened yet and can’t be expedited due to a perceived lack of cross-party consensus. The secretary also said the [...]
RMT announces three more days of rail strikes over Christmas December 5, 2022 The union RMT has announced three more days of strike over Christmas as it put Network Rail’s offer to its members with the recommendation to reject it. Workers are set to walk out from 6pm on Christmas Eve to 6am on 27 December. This will be in addition to the planned industrial action on 13, [...]
Platform staff call off strike on 17 December after breakthrough in negotiations December 5, 2022 Platform staff have called off an upcoming railway strike on Network Rail following a breakthrough in negotiations. The union TSSA said it was putting Network Rail’s offer to members, suspending its planned industrial action on 17 December. “This offer is the best we can achieve through negotiation, and it was undoubtedly improved because of the [...]
Keir Starmer urges compromise on rail strikes after latest pay deal rejected December 5, 2022 Both the unions and the train operators need to compromise to bring the ongoing railway strikes to an end, according to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. “Both sides need to compromise, both sides need to finish the negotiations and the government needs to drive them forward,” Starmer told ITV’s Good Morning Britain. “The government’s been [...]
Rail strikes: RMT rejects eight per cent pay rise offer December 4, 2022 Rail union the RMT has rejected an 8 per cent pay rise offered by rail operators, aimed at heading off strikes planned for next week. “We have rejected this offer as it does not meet any of our criteria for securing a settlement on long term job security, a decent pay rise and protecting working [...]
Winter of discontent: Platform staff join rail workers with more strikes in December November 30, 2022 Station platform workers have piled on more pressure to the British public before Christmas announcing a series of strike days in mid-December. Members of the TSSA union will join railway colleagues on the picket line as part of a long-standing dispute over salaries and jobs. Avanti West Coast workers will walk out on 13, 14, [...]
Rail strikes: Time for the government to bang some heads together November 30, 2022 Government has continued to claim rail strikes are a private discussion - but it's time for them to muscle in and find a deal
Transport secretary Mark Harper: My role is to facilitate rail talks – not negotiate November 29, 2022 Transport secretary Mark Harper has reaffirmed his role of facilitator in the railway negotiations. Harper wrote to general secretary Mick Lynch saying he saw a way forward “to meet everyone’s needs” and put an end to the rail dispute, especially after last week’s “constructive and positive” meeting. “By modernising working practices, we can deliver the [...]
Rail Partners calls for government to give operators more freedom November 29, 2022 Rail Partners has called for the government to give train operators more freedom to attract back customers. According to the rail association, the current system – introduced during the pandemic and based on contracts instead of franchising – needs to evolve through an increase harnessing of the private sector. Rail Partners has called for a [...]
Government calls on railway stations to keep ticket barriers shut to fight fare evasion November 27, 2022 The UK Government has called on railway stations to keep their ticket barriers shut as it clamps down on fare evasion. “For the barriers to be left open would be bad enough in the days when things were better,” rail minister Huw Merriman said. “To do so when I am fighting so hard with the [...]