An uneasy truce between ministers and the rail union bosses has already begun to shatter. Industry insiders expect further industrial action
As the Government begins renationalising the railways, a battle between the unions – The RMT currently led by Mick Lynch, and Aslef, led by Mick Whelan – and new Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander could be coming down the trackWhen Labour swept to power last summer, one of the new Government’s first acts was to set in motion the
Over the last three decades different rail operators, have introduced different employee terms and conditions that have been negotiated with the unions over time. While train drivers walked away with a 15 per cent boost to their salaries – something that even the new Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander admitted was responsible for drivers refusing to work overtime during Christmas, as they could afford not to – there will be talks on the forthcoming year’s pay settlement.
“That’s the backdrop that these reforms to bring everything into a single entity will be set against,” the source added.Veterans in the rail industry believe many of the disparate working arrangements will be left alone. But there are some changes that are fundamental to getting rail services closer to where the Government thinks they should be.
The fact that Sunday working is classed as overtime means services are dependent on staff choosing to work in return for overtime pay. However, when major events, such as England’s appearance at the Euro 2024 final, are more appealing than working overtime then services have to be cut and trains are delayed or cancelled.
“There will definitely be a concerted union attempt to level up terms and conditions to the very best,” he told. “I can’t see them agreeing to level anyone down. So that will almost certainly trigger quite a lot of industrial action.”The rail unions are largely acknowledged as being among the most effective in the country at getting their members the best possible deal from both the Government and their train operating companies.
“The unions would love to see harmonisation across the sector, because if you have a single employer with set terms and conditions then it only goes one way,” the senior rail source said. But her ousting after a historic conviction emerged, saw her replaced by Heidi Alexander, whom the industry sees as less evangelical about the reform agenda.
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