British rail unions and prepare operators held last-ditch talks on Monday aimed toward avoiding pre-Christmas strikes, after the rejection of a weekend pay supply deepened the long-running dispute.
The RMT met prepare firms lower than 24 hours after it rejected an improved pay supply that was contingent on sweeping reforms that the UK’s largest rail commerce union stated would depart the railways “understaffed”.
The smaller TSSA union, which represents journey and transport employees, rejected the same supply on Sunday and has additionally held new talks with the Rail Supply Group, which represents prepare operators.
RMT members started their industrial motion on the rail community in June, however tons of of 1000’s of employees throughout the private and non-private sector at the moment are following swimsuit. Nurses, postal employees and college lecturers are set to strike within the run-up to Christmas; lecturers and junior docs are being balloted on industrial motion; and ambulance employees are poised to announce dates for walkouts.
Whereas the supply from the prepare firms appeared to have deepened the dispute, there was some hope that the worst influence of the strikes might be prevented if unions had been in a position to attain a deal in a separate conflict with Community Rail, which owns and operates the UK’s rail tracks and infrastructure.
Union executives had been assembly on Monday to debate the Community Rail supply, and the disruption subsequent week might be diminished had been the unions to comply with put the physique’s deal to their members and droop the strikes.
Community Rail has provided a 5 per cent pay rise this yr and 4 per cent in 2022, and a assure of no obligatory job losses till January 2025, however can be demanding important modifications to working practices in return.
The primary of 4 48-hour strikes throughout Community Rail and 14 prepare working firms is because of begin on December 13. Additional two-day strikes are due on December 16-17, January 3-4 and January 6-7.
Prepare firms and Community Rail stated any deal would must be reached by the top of Monday to keep away from disruption subsequent week since they draw up their timetables and roster crew properly prematurely.
The provides to unions from the RDG included a 4 per cent pay rise for every of 2021 and 2022 in addition to properly as ensures on no obligatory redundancies till April 2024.
However each the RMT and TSSA stated the provides had been tied to unacceptable modifications to the working of the railways, together with the mass closure of ticket places of work and a widespread transfer to “driver-only operation” — the place drivers as a substitute of guards function the doorways on all carriages.
Union executives stated these proposed modifications to conductors’ obligations had been significantly incendiary and had been included on the final second.
Whereas driver-operated doorways are already in place throughout 45 per cent of the rail community, unions have traditionally fought fiercely towards the modifications, which had been on the coronary heart of a dangerous year-long battle with Southern Rail in 2016 and 2017.
Christian Wolmar, a rail analyst and historian, stated placing “a complete sequence of circumstances” on the pay supply was a mistake. “Pay and productiveness needs to be saved aside,” he stated.
One union govt stated the RDG negotiators had appeared “embarrassed” at components of the deal, which had no likelihood of being accepted.
Ministers and the rail business argue that they want to herald far-reaching modifications to working practices to assist fill a monetary black gap brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic and a shift to distant working.
The federal government spent £13.3bn to help the railways within the yr to March 2022, figures launched final week present.
Downing Road stated: “We proceed to induce the RMT to assume once more. There’s nonetheless time.
“We predict it’s the proper supply. It’s a big enchancment on what they had been provided earlier than”.
