Rishi Sunak has accused transport unions of wanting to "steal Christmas" with strike action that has caused widespread travel disruption in the run-up to the festive period.
The Prime Minister hit out at the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers' union (RMT) and its chief Mick Lynch over the industrial action, branding Lynch a "Grinch" over plans for workers to walk out once again later this month amid an ongoing dispute with employer Network Rail. The RMT is fighting for better pay and working conditions, but negotiations have repeatedly broken down with the union rejecting deals offered so far.
Rail passengers have been warned to expect "significant disruption" in the aftermath of the latest 48-hour strike on 16 and 17 December, with 14 train companies affected by the action including four in the North East - CrossCountry, LNER, Northern and Transpennine. The RMT also confirmed earlier this month that they will stage additional walkouts over the Christmas period from 6pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on 27 December.
READ MORE: Families face ‘virtual Christmas’ due to rail strikes, says Transport Secretary
Writing in the Sun on Sunday, the Prime Minister accused the unions of "causing misery for millions", saying that the planned travel strikes over the festive season are "cruelly timed".
"An increasing number of union members want a deal," Sunak said. "They are tired of being foot soldiers in Mick Lynch's class war."
The PM also hit out at political rival Keir Starmer, saying that Labour "backs the Grinches that want to steal Christmas for their own political ends". Sunak said that the deals offered to the RMT were "fair" and "affordable to taxpayers", but called the union's demands "unaffordable".
But Mick Lynch has insisted that the union maintains the support of the public. Issuing an update on the union's stand-off with Network Rail and train operators, the RMT chief said: "We exchanged some ideas and some possibilities, there was no negotiations at that, nothing arising tangible out of that.
"But what he did, having heard that as the facilitator, as they describe themselves, and the people that ultimately own the purse strings, is he invited us and requested that we get together and hold further talks going forward and we’ll do that in the next period if the companies want to get engaged in it."
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