Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has called for transport workers to 'reconsider' strike action - and slammed Mayor Andy Burnham for supporting workers over pay deals. Mr Burnham's office have responded to the scathing attack by questioning Mr Shapps' undermining of people’s right to fight for their income, and accused the Government of 'playing politics'.
In a statement shared with the Manchester Evening News, Grant Shapps said railways are in a 'perilous state' following Covid and that the industry needed modernising to aid 'levelling up'. Of Mr Burnham, who is currently spearheading major bus reform, he added: "But not everyone agrees, especially the Mayor of Greater Manchester. He came out in full support for the disruptive strike action which recently paralysed most of the North, hurting the very people he was elected to serve.
"We heard stories of holidaymakers stranded at Manchester Airport unable to get home, hospital appointments missed, and one parent who faced a journey of 180 miles so her sons could take their GCSEs. It begs the question – whose side is the Mayor on? And with more strikes in the offing, I urge union leaders to reconsider.
READ MORE: How July and August train strikes will affect events in Greater Manchester
"Nurses, teachers and police officers across the North can only dream of the salaries enjoyed by train drivers who, despite the challenges facing their industry, are expecting inflationary pay rises on salaries often reaching £70k."
Mr Shapps' comments have followed widespread strike action among rail and bus workers, with further walk-outs planned for this month and next month. Workers at eight rail firms are due to strike on July 30, while Network Rail and 14 train operating companies are to go on strike for two more days in August, in a move that will hit passengers again.
Meanwhile, Arriva bus drivers have also staged walk-outs over pay this month. Meanwhile, there are questions over how far bus reform will progress amid Government funding deficits also impacting the Metrolink service, with the latest tranche of emergency Covid cash due to run out in September.
In his full statement, Mr Shapps referred to rail strikes four years ago which brought services across parts of the North to a standstill. He said the industrial action around voluntary Sunday working practice was 'absurd' and the views which led objections 'antiquated'. He described his current plan to move staff from behind office desks to station platforms to help customers, 'drag maintenance into the 21st century' and increase safety.
He added: "And, contrary to what some have claimed, I want a growing railway where workers receive a decent annual pay rise. We also have been clear that, under our reforms, any station which is currently staffed will remain so."
He added: "What Mr Burnham and his union chums fail to see is that after £16 billion of taxpayer support, and with the rapid growth of hybrid working, the status quo cannot hold. This Government was elected to be bold and reforming, and that’s what we’re doing.
In his statement, Mr Shapps also alluded to the £96bn Integrated Rail Plan - which saw Northern Powerhouse Rail downgraded, the eastern leg of HS2 removed and a cut-price station for HS2 at Piccadilly. He said it would reduce journey times between major cities, electrify the Transpennine and Midland Main lines, and increase capacity for passengers and freight.
He added: "We’re turning the current railway model on its head. Great British Railways will be the guiding mind the industry has long called for. We’re replacing the broken franchising model and getting a grip on spiralling costs. A ticketing revolution will see simpler and more flexible fares, digital ticketing and increased pay as you go services. And we’ll build on the success of the Great British Rail Sale, which sold over one million tickets and saved passengers £7 million, to get more people back on board.
"The alternative options aren’t viable: continuously increasing fares to fund the railways or endless taxpayer support, both of which won’t wash with the public. So, I urge the Mayor to prioritise passengers, not the pickets, and support real solutions, not strikes."
He added: "Modernisation shouldn’t be a scary word. It’s at the very heart of levelling up. Manchester is now a thriving cultural and media hub. Teesside is fast becoming a centre for green hydrogen power. And new freeports in Humber and Liverpool will transform these areas into modern engines for economic growth. The North’s economy has an eye to the future; it cannot be served by a railway, nor elected Mayors, stuck in the past."
What Andy Burnham's spokesman says:
A spokesperson for the Mayor of Greater Manchester said: "Grant Shapps is wrong to criticise people’s right to fight for their income, for their family or to pay their rent in a cost-of-living crisis. The Government has everything in their ability to get an agreement and stop these strikes, but they are not.
"It is almost as if they want the controversy of these strikes to take place. Everybody should turn their anger and criticism towards the people who are failing to fix this situation – the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and the rest of the Government. It’s time the Government got on with governing rather than playing politics."
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