Tory Ministers have been accused to attempting to deliberately inflame the rail strikes by condemning the action by the RMT union as “militant”.
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab took a swipe at striking railway workers ahead of the second day of industrial action that will close down the rail network on Thursday.
Raab said the government cannot “relent” and allow striking rail workers to “win” the argument amid the biggest industrial action on the network in three decades.
Just minutes after insisting the government did not want the dispute to become “politicised” the Deputy PM also described the actions of the country’s largest rail union, RMT, as “militant”.
With inflation hitting a 40 year high, the cabinet minister said it showed the need to take a “firm line” with the union, telling Sky News there was a risk of a “vicious cycle” of rising wages pushing inflation even higher.
His comments came as talks between Network Rail and other train companies prepare to resume negotiations with RMT in attempt to break the deadlock after the first of three days of industrial action.
Raab said he understood unions “feel their job is to protect their workers”, before describing the strike action as “counterproductive” and claimed it was for Network Rail to deal with the union, rather than ministers.
But Raab added: “We can’t allow, I’m afraid, the unions in this very militant way they’ve proceeded, to win this argument because it will only hurt the poorest in society.”
Pressed on his use of the word “militant”, Raab said millions were being disrupted, with blue collar workers, including cleaners and electricians, suffering the “most”.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said the turnout at picket lines on Tuesday was “fantastic” and had exceeded expectations in the union’s campaign for job security, defending conditions and a pay rise.
Ahead of planned action on Thursday and Saturday, he said: “RMT members are leading the way for all workers in this country who are sick and tired of having their pay and conditions slashed by a mixture of big business profits and government policy, ”
“Now is the time to stand up and fight for every single railway worker in this dispute that we will win.”
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