Evening summary
- The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has sacked one of his frontbench after he appeared on a picket line. Sam Tarry, shadow transport minister and MP for Ilford, joined workers on a picket line and made several posts to social media, as well as appearing on Sky News and Channel 4 News.
- The Labour party said Tarry’s removal was not about picket lines but about “collective responsibility”. A spokesperson said this includes media appearances being approved and speaking to agreed frontbench positions.
- Tarry said he would continue to campaign for a Labour victory in a statement with any criticism of Starmer’s position conspicuously absent.
- The Aslef union announced a fresh strike on Saturday 13 August. Train drivers working for nine companies will strike for 24 hours over pay.
- Further rail strikes are already planned for the coming weeks. About 6,000 train drivers belonging to the Aslef union across eight train companies will join the rail dispute when they strike on 30 July. A repeat of Wednesday’s action by RMT members at Network Rail and 14 train companies is planned for 18 and 20 August. Tube workers will also take strike action again on 19 August.
- The secretary of state for transport, Grant Shapps, said “passengers are being taken for a ride” by these “extreme hard-left unions”. When asked by the BBC if he was going down the road of legislation to make it more difficult to strike, Shapps responded: “Yes, and we’ve already started to do that.”
- Shapps also ruled out meeting rail unions.“This is just a game by the unions,” he said in an interview on Sky News.
- Other MPs joined picket lines or expressed solidarity with striking workers across the country. The MPs included John McDonnell, Paula Barker and Ruth Jones.
- The shadow transport minister Sam Tarry joined striking workers on the picket line at Euston station. Tarry said: “It can’t be accepted any more, that people just have to accept that inflation is out of control. The government’s doing nothing on the cost of living crisis.”
- The RMT’s union leader, Mick Lynch, said the proposals they had at the moment were unacceptable, and said the decision was not in the hands of a secret body, but in the hands of “the ordinary men and women who make up our union” out striking today.
- Network Rail’s chief executive, Andrew Haines, said he believed RMT negotiators were being overruled by those at the top of the union, and the deal should be put to the membership.
Updated
Sam Tarry, who has been sacked as a Labour frontbencher after joining a picket line, has said he is “proud” to stand with striking rail workers.
In a statement, he said: “These key workers kept our train services running throughout the pandemic, and were among Britain’s Covid heroes alongside the NHS and other public services.
“Those same workers have been forced to take action because they’re faced with a cost-of-living crisis and rampant inflation caused by the government’s mismanagement of our economy, leaving millions struggling to pay their bills and provide for their families, made worse by the fact that callous and incompetent ministers refuse to even negotiate with their trade unions.
“This dispute would not be taking place under a Labour government, which would ensure that rail workers receive a fair wage.
“It has been a privilege to serve on Labour’s frontbench for the past two years and to have had the opportunity to speak up for hard-pressed workers who deserve so much better than the treatment they’ve received from this corrupt and out-of-touch government.
“I remain committed to supporting the striking rail workers, and campaigning for a Labour victory at the next general election, which I will fight for relentlessly from the backbenches.”
Updated
A couple of Labour MPs have already expressed support for Sam Tarry, the now former shadow transport minister, sacked in the last hour for joining a picket line.
Ian Lavery, the MP for Wansbeck, says it’s “shameful”.
Solidarity to @SamTarry ✊️
— Ian Lavery MP (@IanLaveryMP) July 27, 2022
Supporting workers @RMTunion and all other workers in dispute is in the best traditions of what the @UKLabour was founded for and should stand for.
The sacking is quite frankly shameful.
Kate Osamor, MP for Edmonton, says the party should not lose sight of the “fight for ordinary people”.
Solidarity @SamTarry.
— Kate Osamor Labour & Co-op MP for Edmonton (@KateOsamor) July 27, 2022
The Labour Party exists to fight for ordinary people.
We must never lose sight of that. https://t.co/KmOo2X0j0g
Updated
A statement from the Labour party says the sacking of shadow transport minister, Sam Tarry, is not just about his appearance at the picket line but a wider “collective responsibility”.
A Labour party spokesperson said: “The Labour party will always stand up for working people fighting for better pay, terms and conditions at work.
“This isn’t about appearing on a picket line. Members of the frontbench sign up to collective responsibility. That includes media appearances being approved and speaking to agreed frontbench positions.
“As a government in waiting, any breach of collective responsibility is taken extremely seriously and for these reasons Sam Tarry has been removed from the frontbench.”
Updated
Shadow transport minister sacked after joining picket line
The shadow transport minister, Sam Tarry, has been sacked for joining a picket line in a contravention of an order by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, my colleague Jessica Elgot reports.
Breaking - Sam Tarry sacked
— Jessica Elgot (@jessicaelgot) July 27, 2022
Updated
More information on the fresh strike announced in the last few minutes by Aslef, the union representing more than 21,000 train drivers.
In a press release, Aslef announced a one day strike at nine train companies on Saturday 13 August after the firms “failed to make a pay offer to help members keep pace with the increase in the cost of living”.
The strike is in addition to an Aslef-led strike this Saturday 30 July involving drivers across seven companies.
“Strikes are always the last resort,” said Mick Whelan, the general secretary of Aslef, in the release.
“We don’t want to inconvenience passengers – our friends and families use public transport, too – and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike but we’ve been forced into this position by the companies, who say they have been driven to this by the Tory government.”
Members have not had a pay rise since 2019 and taking high rates of inflation into account this amounts to a real terms cut over three years, Whelan said.
The companies covered by the strike are:
Avanti West Coast;
Cross Country;
Arriva Rail London (London Overground);
Greater Anglia;
Great Western;
Hull Trains;
LNER;
Southeastern;
West Midlands Trains.
Updated
Rail drivers announce fresh strike in August
Train drivers at nine rail companies are to strike on Saturday 13 August over pay, their union, Aslef, has announced.
Updated
Aslef, the union representing more than 21,000 train drivers in Britain, which is planning its own strike on Saturday, has expressed solidarity with today’s strikes.
Solidarity with all our @RMTunion and @TSSAunion rail colleagues striking today for fair pay and a fair deal.
— ASLEF (@ASLEFunion) July 27, 2022
We stand together against profiteering and attacks on safety and conditions.
The shadow transport minister Sam Tarry continues to post images on Twitter from the picket line, despite an order from Sir Keir Starmer to his frontbenchers to stay away.
Great to join the General Secretaries of @RMTunion and @GMB_union earlier in support of some of the lowest-paid workers in the rail industry, including safety critical workers, who ensure our railways enable people to travel to work safely.
— Sam Tarry MP (@SamTarry) July 27, 2022
Solidarity ✊🏻🪧 pic.twitter.com/VPKrJpooWv
Updated
Unions condemn transport secretary for 'attack' on right to strike
Earlier we reported on Grant Shapps setting out a series of measures for curbing union power abuse in an article for the Telegraph.
His plans, which involve as many as 16 measures, include “banning strikes by different unions in the same workplace within a set period” and a minimum 50% of those voting for industrial action in a ballot, among others.
In response, union leaders have condemned the proposals, calling them an “attack on the fundamental right to strike” and that they would “be the green light for a return to the worst workplace abuses of the past”.
The Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham, said:
The government has miscalculated. People can see behind the usual narrative of ‘union bad, boss good’. This is not the 1970s. The cost of living crisis is the latest episode in a long-term war on the living standards of workers.
The TUC general secretary, Frances O’Grady, said:
These proposals are an attack on the fundamental right to strike. They are anti-democratic and anti-worker. Threatening the right to strike tilts the balance of power too far towards employers. It means workers can’t stand up for decent services and safety at work – or defend their jobs and pay.
The Unison general secretary, Christina McAnea, said:
The government wants to turn the clock back to Victorian times when children were sent up chimneys and working people ruthlessly exploited. Unions are trying to help employees through the worst cost of living crisis in recent history. Ministers want to demonise unions to distract from their own failings.
Updated
Scotland’s transport minister said the UK government needs to “inject the political willing” to resolve disputes across the rail network, PA news reports.
Appearing on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme, Jenny Gilruth said it is “vitally important” for all parties to work together to find a resolution.
Gilruth said UK transport secretary Grant Shapps’ stance to not resolve the problem himself was “interesting”.
It’s vitally important now that Grant Shapps instructs Network Rail and the train operating companies to get back around the negotiating table with the trade unions, which is exactly what I did with ScotRail in the most recent dispute, so that we can get to that resolution to reinstate full services and to avoid any further strikes.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said:
It is a matter for unions and employers – not government – to engage in meaningful talks on modernisation practices to avoid damaging strike action and prevent chaos on the railways. Government is not the employer here.
Updated
⚠️ Reminder: there is a very limited service running today!
— Network Rail (@networkrail) July 27, 2022
🕡 You will need to complete your journey by 18:30 so please check your last train:
➡️ https://t.co/kOvkOHv6So@nationalrailenq #strike pic.twitter.com/ed677S5jfT
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) on strike for the fourth time have lost about £1,500 each in pay and bonuses, PA news reports.
Updated
More passengers were attempting to travel despite Wednesday’s rail strike than during last month’s industrial action, reports PA news.
Network Rail said around 15% more people were using its stations than on Thursday 23 June, which was the second day members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union had gone on strike.
Passengers were urged to only travel by train if necessary, however many passengers turning up at stations on Wednesday were unaware of the strike.
Fabian Ward said: “I didn’t know about the strikes to be fair, otherwise I would have driven.”
Updated
Here are the latest photos coming in from the wires:
In his latest statement, the Labour MP and shadow transport minister Sam Tarry said he was “proud to have been on the picket line today” and said the government needs to pay transport staff “what they deserve”.
Proud to have been on the picket line today, standing in solidarity alongside workers and members of @RMTunion and @TSSAunion.
— Sam Tarry MP (@SamTarry) July 27, 2022
The Government needs to pay transport staff what they deserve, not force a real terms pay cut on them during a #CostOfLivingCrisis. pic.twitter.com/DGmCVVGIby
Updated
The Guardian’s chief political correspondent Jessica Elgot has tweeted some insights into Sam Tarry joining the rail strike picket line.
Lots of rumours if Tarry is deselected that he could be hoping for another seat close by and trade union support for that would be welcome. Obviously there's principle at stake too that many Labour MPs agree with and it's tough line to keep taking with a year of strikes ahead.
— Jessica Elgot (@jessicaelgot) July 27, 2022
Updated
The RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch, says he would back a general strike if Liz Truss becomes prime minister and her promised anti-union legislation comes into effect, reports inews.
You can read the full report here.
Updated
More MPs are joining picket lines and expressing solidarity with striking rail workers.
In Leicester we are proud to stand in solidarity with @RMTunion striking members to defend jobs, pay and conditions.
— Claudia Webbe MP (@ClaudiaWebbe) July 27, 2022
On average, rail companies make £500 million per year in profits.
The message is clear: cut profits not services and jobs. pic.twitter.com/aSlDEiFb2L
The Transport Secretary should meet the RMT to help resolve this dispute by agreeing a settlement that is fair to rail workers. @RMTunion
— Hilary Benn (@hilarybennmp) July 27, 2022
More Socialist Campaign Group MPs on @RMTunion picket lines this morning. Whatever you do, don’t tell Keir Starmer! pic.twitter.com/s5e8euZlkc
— Diane Abbott MP (@HackneyAbbott) July 27, 2022
This morning, I joined local @RMTunion members on their picket line outside Liverpool Lime Street.
— Mick Whitley MP (@MickWhitleyMP) July 27, 2022
Now, it's time for @grantshapps to get on with the job that taxpayers pay him to do, return to the negotiating table, and work to find a negotiated settlement.#SupportRailWorkers pic.twitter.com/GiZ7dWMbCE
Joined @RMT_Scotland @RMTunion picket line at Glasgow Central Station to show full solidarity and support to those on strike today. #railstrike #victorytothermt pic.twitter.com/HT9mekRz5J
— Chris Stephens MP (@ChrisStephens) July 27, 2022
Updated
The former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn joined workers on the picket line at Euston station today in a show of solidarity.
Speaking with GB News, Corbyn said:
In reality, the RMT today is speaking for an awful lot of other people who are worried about their own future, about their jobs, and about low level of pay in this country at a time of very high inflation.
“Because in reality the @RMTunion today are speaking for an awful lot of people.”#SupportRailWorkers pic.twitter.com/a1hIdxNT24
— RMT (@RMTunion) July 27, 2022
The Guardian’s chief political correspondent Jessica Elgot has tweeted some insights into what Sam Tarry joining the rail strike picket line means for the Labour leader.
Sam Tarry situation is very tricky for Keir Starmer. Firstly, Tarry's interviews make very valid points about support for low paid workers. But Tarry is also facing a tight reselection battle in his constituency. after members voted to trigger an open vote... 1/2
— Jessica Elgot (@jessicaelgot) July 27, 2022
Plenty in Labour pointing out Tarry was not one of the MPs to defy Starmer at the last picket line. Multiple Labour sources say "he's trying to get sacked." But Starmer does have option not to do that because shadow ministers were not sacked last time. Tricky decision for Loto.
— Jessica Elgot (@jessicaelgot) July 27, 2022
Updated
Some pictures of from the rail strikes have been featured in this gallery of the best photos from today, selected by Joe Plimmer
The rail strike has meant that ScotRail has only been able to run a skeleton service on five routes in Scotland today.
PA has spoken to some of the passengers affected.
Shelley Little, 45, who was was travelling from Edinburgh Waverley to Glasgow with her daughter said:
No one has given us any information about what’s going on. We had no idea. We just turned up at Waverley and it said our train to Glasgow was cancelled on the noticeboard, but with no reason.
We had delays coming to Edinburgh from Glasgow yesterday as well.
The only person who has been any help was a passenger who seemed to have a bit more of an idea of what was going on. No one from the train company has said anything to us.
Today we have to pay to put our bags in luggage because we have been delayed. It’s annoying, and expensive.
We aim to get back in England on Friday, but we don’t know what’s going to happen.
It’s eaten into a lot of our time visiting Scotland.
Jessica Teele, who was travelling home to Australia from Scotland, said she had to get an earlier train because her booked journey from Edinburgh Waverley had been cancelled.
Teele said:
The strikes have affected my journey, so I’m just making sure I make moves as early as possible as I’m not sure what other services are going to be cancelled.
Not a great start.
Meanwhile, Sarah Johnson, 18, said she had to change her travel plans to London because of the strike action.
I was meant to be travelling via Carlisle on my way to London, but because of delays to services I’ve had to switch my route, so I’m now changing at Glasgow instead.
Updated
According to PA, the rail strikes have had a little effect on Gatwick airport railway station this morning.
PA reports:
Trains towards London Bridge, London Victoria, Three Bridges and Brighton are all currently running on time.
There were significant delays and disruption at the airport station during rail strike action earlier last month.
There is a significantly smaller staff presence on the platforms today compared with the strikes in June, where multiple members of staff were on duty on each platform to guide passengers.
Updated
Mick Lynch has said that he would fight Grant Shapps in order to try and resolve the impasse over rail strikes.
Speaking to PA, when asked whether there is an alternative to the rail strikes, the general secretary to the RMT union said: “I could do trial by combat ... but I can’t think of [another] way at the moment because we’ve been negotiating for two years.
“But it would be interesting if me and Grant Shapps went head-to-head, if that’s not too flippant.”
You can read the full report here
Updated
Here's a summary of the latest developments ...
- Further rail strikes are already planned for the coming weeks. About 6,000 train drivers belonging to the Aslef union across eight train companies will join the rail dispute when they strike on 30 July. A repeat of Wednesday’s action by RMT members at Network Rail and 14 train companies is planned for 18 and 20 August. Tube workers will also take strike action again on 19 August.
- The secretary of state for transport, Grant Shapps, said “passengers are being taken for a ride” by these “extreme hard-left unions”. When asked by the BBC if he was going down the road of legislation to make it more difficult to strike, Shapps responded: “Yes, and we’ve already started to do that.”
- Shapps also ruled out meeting rail unions.“This is just a game by the unions,” he said in an interview on Sky News.
- Other MPs joined picket lines or expressed solidarity with striking workers across the country. The MPs included John McDonnell, Paula Barker and Ruth Jones.
- The shadow transport minister Sam Tarry joined striking workers on the picket line at Euston station. Tarry said: “It can’t be accepted any more, that people just have to accept that inflation is out of control. The government’s doing nothing on the cost of living crisis.”
- The RMT’s union leader, Mick Lynch, said the proposals they had at the moment were unacceptable, and said the decision was not in the hands of a secret body, but in the hands of “the ordinary men and women who make up our union” out striking today.
- Network Rail’s chief executive, Andrew Haines, said he believed RMT negotiators were being overruled by those at the top of the union, and the deal should be put to the membership.
That’s it from me, Geneva. My colleague Tobi Thomas will be taking you through the latest developments for the next hour.
Updated
Here are the latest photos coming in from the wires:
Road congestion in several cities at 9am on Wednesday had increased slightly compared to Tuesday, according to data from location technology firm TomTom.
London and Cardiff were both up 3% in additional time required for journeys, according to PA news.
Glasgow was up 5%, Leeds 7% and Liverpool 2%.
Here’s the latest from passengers on their experiences travelling during today’s train strikes.
A woman, speaking with PA news, said she was “angry” after the rail strike left left her autistic son “distressed and upset” that he was not able to make his first day at a new job.
“He lives on his own, so I had sorted out the tickets and times etc for him - with autism he needs to have plans made,” said Elizabeth Bolton, 51.
Bolton added:
He was very distressed... I’m angry that other people’s actions can affect innocent people. My son is upset and doesn’t understand why they’re striking... He was nervous about a new job, so I had spent weeks preparing him, but never thought about the trains. I personally think (those who are striking) are selfish, although I understand their frustration. It’s selfish not to think about other people... There has to be another way to have their say.
Jen, from Havant, Hampshire, was unable to attend her uncle’s funeral because of the rail strike disruption said the situation has made her feel “less of a part of my family”.
Jen, 42, added:
I would also like a pay rise in line with inflation but in reality that won’t happen. I don’t choose to mess around with people’s lives because of it. And it angers me when they say ‘Oh, just work from home’ or ‘Just travel on a different day’ because people don’t ‘only’ travel for trivial reasons. I won’t get this day back.
Updated
Here’s the latest from MPs who’ve joined picket lines or shown solidarity with striking workers this morning.
Solidarity with @RMTunion members at Lpool Lime St this morning. Striking for a fair pay rise, to maintain terms and conditions & ensure passenger safety is maintained by fighting against job cuts. Great to stand with local members pic.twitter.com/xTSfEaZ257
— Kim Johnson MP (@KimJohnsonMP) July 27, 2022
Rail workers are seeing pay outpaced by inflation and are facing further threats to working conditions & job security.
— Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP (@BellRibeiroAddy) July 27, 2022
Solidarity with @RMTUnion members on the picket line again today, showing us the best way to fight back against the Tory cost of living crisis #RailStrike pic.twitter.com/FGjmAe8s3d
The @RMTunion picket line this morning on Lime Street was absolutely solid with support growing across the Labour & Trade Union movement plus a fantastic reception from the public.#RMTstrikes pic.twitter.com/aBBIcb0XyC
— lan Byrne MP (@IanByrneMP) July 27, 2022
Solidarity with @RMTunion & @RmtNewport members on strike today.
— Ruth Jones MP (@RuthNewportWest) July 27, 2022
Transport for Wales staff aren't on strike, but cuts to jobs across the border and in Network Rail will affect us all, making our railways less accessible and more unsafe in the process. 👇 pic.twitter.com/xA4QWJ8dxO
Solidarity once again to @RMTunion members today as you continue your struggle for a fair deal on the railways.
— Paula Barker MP (@PaulaBarkerMP) July 27, 2022
I look forward to joining the picket line in my constituency later this morning. #VictorytotheRMT ✊
With @RMTunion Eddie Dempsey, Jeremy & Unison members on picket lines at Euston & Kings Cross. @SamTarry joined us too. Strike absolutely solid & support growing across the Labour & Trade Union movement. pic.twitter.com/dkmIizJQvK
— John McDonnell MP (@johnmcdonnellMP) July 27, 2022
Updated
Here’s the latest from PA news, speaking with strikers on picket lines.
Emma Davis has been on the official RMT picket line at Sheffield station since early this morning. Davis, 35, went on strike over pay in 2015 and is part of the National Education Union.
It’s not just about rail workers, it’s about every single section of society feeling the pinch unless you’re at the very top and they’re getting much richer. I think that’s becoming more obvious, that they are profiting off the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.
Ru Roberts, UK country manager at Waze, on today’s strikes said:
Due to the areas that National Rail and other networks serve, predominately throughout London and the south-east, a huge portion of the UK’s main motorways have been hit by strike disruption this morning. Waze has seen speeds reduced along major hotspot thoroughfares like the M25, and heavy traffic along the M1 with speeds as low as 14mph.
Updated
Transport secretary rules out meeting unions
Grant Shapps has ruled out meeting rail unions, as RMT members went on strike on Wednesday.
“This is just a game by the unions,” the transport secretary said in an interview on Sky News.
Pickets were set up outside train stations across the country on Wednesday morning as RMT members at Network Rail and 14 train operators went on strike over jobs, pay, pensions and conditions.
Updated
Here are the latest photos coming in from the wires:
Updated
I have a ticket but my train has been cancelled or moved to a different time – what are my rights?
If a train serving any part of your journey (outbound or return) has been cancelled or rescheduled you are entitled to a full refund from wherever you bought the ticket. There should be no fee for this. The National Rail website has a dedicated advice section for affected travellers which is a good place to start, while MoneySavingExpert also has a guide on how to claim.
Can I travel on another day?
Yes. If you have an advance, off-peak or anytime ticket for the day of the strike it will be valid for travel up to and including Tuesday 2 August. There is no need to change the date on the ticket. However, you should double-check the train company’s website as there are some exceptions. Avanti West Coast, for example, has given customers with tickets for travel from 26 to 28 July until 29 July to travel.
Or travel on another train service?
If you really need to travel on one of the strike days it may be possible to switch train companies or routes but your options will be limited. A revised timetable has been published and you should contact the relevant train company to find out your options.
I have a season ticket – will I be entitled to a full refund?
Only if your season ticket is valid for a month or longer. If that is the case, you can apply for a full refund for the strike days via the industry’s delay repay compensation scheme.
What if I bought my ticket through a third party such as Trainline?
Trainline said it would contact customers with an online refund for cancelled or rescheduled trains. If your train is unaffected by the strikes but your plans have changed, you can reschedule your journey at no cost or cancel it, but there may be admin fees.
Updated
Manuel Cortes, the general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA), told the PA news agency:
Our members in Avanti West Coast are out on strike because the deep cost-of-living crisis that the Tories have created is meaning that they’re losing purchasing power. Of course many of them have not had a pay increase not just this year, not just last year, but up to four years. So, clearly, like the rest of the country, they are feeling the pinch and it’s just getting to the point where it’s unbearable.
Updated
What strike action is expected to take place later this summer?
Further rail strikes are already planned for the coming weeks in what is looking like a summer of discontent.
About 6,000 train drivers belonging to the Aslef union across eight train companies will join the rail dispute when they strike on 30 July.
A repeat of Wednesday’s action by RMT members at Network Rail and 14 train companies is planned for 18 and 20 August. Tube workers will also take strike action again on 19 August.
Grant Shapps has escalated the government’s confrontation with the rail unions by ruling out meeting with them, as a shadow minister said “lives could be lost” if wages did not improve.
Labour’s Sam Tarry defied his party leadership to stand on the picket line at Euston on Wednesday morning while rail strikes disrupted travel for millions.
The transport secretary ruled out any meeting with rail unions, even if the situation continued or escalated, in an interview with Sky News on Wednesday morning. Shapps said he was “not the right person to be in the room negotiating”.
Read more from my colleague Emily Dugan here:
Here’s the latest TfL update:
Bakerloo — Part suspended. There is no service between Queen’s Park and Harrow & Wealdstone.
District — Minor delays between Turnham Green and Richmond.
Elizabeth Line — Minor delays. A reduced service is operating between Paddington/Heathrow and Reading also between Liverpool Street and Shenfield.
London overground — Part suspended. No service Barking to Barking Riverside, Surrey Quays to New Cross, Kilburn High Road to Euston, Romford to Upminster and Camden Road to Stratford
The Central, Circle, Hammersmith & City, Jubilee, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly, Victoria, Waterloo & City, DLR and Tram lines are currently operating in good service.
Writing in the Telegraph yesterday, the secretary of state for transport, Grant Shapps said “we must complete Thatcher’s unfinished business.”
In his “prescription” for curbing union power abuse, which involves as many as 16 measures, Shapps wrote:
I’m looking at banning strikes by different unions in the same workplace within a set period. We should also place an absolute limit of six pickets at points of Critical National Infrastructure, irrespective of the number of unions involved, and outlaw intimidatory language.
Shapps also said ballot papers should set out clearly the specific reason for industrial action and the form of action to be taken, and a minimum 50 per cent of those voting for industrial action in a ballot.
Here are the latest photos from the wires:
Updated
The secretary of state for transport, Grant Shapps said “passengers are being taken for a ride” by these “extreme hard left unions.”
Speaking with Radio 4’s Today, Shapps said there was a deal of 8% over two years, adding things were “going well” in the room, but was rejected before getting out to members.
Shapps said there hasn’t been a single day in three years where there hasn’t either been a strike or the threat of strike action with a mandate for it. Shapps said it demonstrates “we have the balance in the wrong place.”
When asked why he won’t negotiate directly with Mick Lynch, Shapps said:
This is just a game by the unions, they play it in every single industrial action...It’s simply because the only people who can settle these disputes are the employers with the unions.”
When asked if he was going down the road of legislation to make it more difficult to strike, Shapps responded “yes, and we’ve already started to do that.” Two changes have been made to the law already, said Shapps, such as the ability to bring in agency staff from other areas of the railway.
Shadow transport minister Sam Tarry joined striking workers on the picket line at Euston station, despite Keir Starmer’s orders to stay away, PA reports.
Tarry told ITV’s Good Morning Britain:
If we don’t make a stand today, people’s lives could be lost. Some of the lowest-paid workers are on strike today in the rail industry, safety critical workers, workers who make sure our railways get people to work and do so safely.
“It can’t be accepted anymore, that people just have to accept that inflation is out of control. The Government’s doing nothing on the cost-of-living crisis.”
He added that if Starmer was in government right now, the dispute wouldn’t be happening.
“I have absolutely 100% confidence that any Labour Party MP would be in support of striking workers who have given up a day’s pay, a week’s pay or even longer,” added Tarry.
When asked by BBC Breakfast if Keir Starmer should be there, Tarry said:
I think any Labour MP or Labour member, the half million of us across the country, will have absolute solidarity with striking doctors. Whether they be doctors, whether they be teachers, whether they’re people in the postal sector, because the thing people in this country are fed up with is 10 years of austerity followed by out of control inflation.
'I'm here as Shadow Transport Minister backing transport workers who are on strike'
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) July 27, 2022
Labour's @SamTarry is on the @RMTUnion picket line today.
He spoke to #BBCBreakfast on why he's ignoring a call from leader Keir Starmer not to do sohttps://t.co/6fPS8IAnBB pic.twitter.com/2nw9pjQAog
Mick Lynch: there has not been an offer that was 'ever acceptable to us'
The RMT’s union leader said there’s no deal that was “ever acceptable to us”.
When asked by the BBC’s flagship morning news programme, Radio 4’s Today, if there was a deal done that he’s countered, the RMT union leader Mick Lynch said “no, that’s just propaganda plain and simple”. Lynch said they put the deal to our members in mass meetings of their representatives across the country.
Lynch said the proposals they have at the moment are unacceptable, and said the decision is not in the hands of a secret body, but in the hands of “the ordinary men and women who make up our union” out striking today.
“It’s quite difficult being a trade union in this country, it feels quite oppressive,” added Lynch. “This is not about power, it’s about jobs, conditions, pay and pensions.”
When asked if they’re getting support they ought to from the Labour party, Lynch said Keir Starmer needs to get in tune with where working class people are “because they’re being ripped off in this society at the minute.”
Lynch called on Starmer to come up with a bill of rights and a set of employment laws that “bring balance to our society, and rebalance our economy.”
Updated
Speaking with the BBC’s flagship morning news programme, Radio 4’s Today, Network Rail’s chief executive said he believed RMT negotiators were being overruled by those at the top of the union, and the deal should be put to the membership.
Andrew Haines said:
We think we were making good progress, and this has happened twice now, when the negotiators go back to talk to the RMT executive, we suddenly get a shift in tone and we end up with more strikes.
Strike action begins
Good morning. The railways will again grind to a halt on Wednesday as workers strike over pay, job security and working conditions.
The strikes involve more than 40,000 workers at Network Rail, 14 train companies, and members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT).
Transport for London services will be affected by the disruption as it uses sections of track that comes under Network Rail’s jurisdiction. There will also be a stoppage by members of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA), who work for the Avanti West Coast firm.
“Network Rail have not made any improvement on their previous pay offer and the train companies have not offered us anything new,” said the RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch. “The government need to stop their interference in this dispute so the rail employers can come to a negotiated settlement with us.”
Today’s strike came after union leaders rejected a “paltry” offer of a 4% pay rise for the remainder of 2022 from Network Rail, and a possible 4% next year if workers accepted changes in working conditions.
After the strike announcement, Network Rail accused the union of “walking away” from talks and said the action could have been avoided. “It’s now abundantly clear that their political campaign is taking precedence over representing their members’ interests,” said Tim Shoveller, Network Rail’s lead negotiator.
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