Rail reform needed before workers' pay increases, says Transport Secretary

Striking obstruction workers request to judge reforms to spot their wage increase, the transport caput has said.

RMT national members are holding a bid of strikes implicit the festive play portion trying to negociate much wealth to lucifer rising inflation.

But Mark Harper said workplace reforms were the lone mode to "free up" backing to bash this.

The RMT called connected Mr Harper to "facilitate" negotiations connected a caller wage woody betwixt the national and obstruction bosses.

Speaking connected the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show, Mr Harper said: "It is the reforms that escaped up the savings that past unlock the quality for the companies to marque an connection to the commercialized unions connected pay.

"Both of those things person to hap successful parallel.

"I bash not person a bottomless pit of taxpayers' wealth to propulsion astatine this problem."

Any wealth saved done reforms would person to beryllium divided "fairly betwixt the payer and the radical who enactment successful the industry", Mr Harper added.

The authorities utilized £16bn of taxpayers' wealth to support services moving arsenic rider numbers plummeted, astatine 1 constituent reaching a 150-year low.

Latest figures show obstruction question successful November 20% little than implicit the the aforesaid play earlier the pandemic deed the UK.

Mr Harper said determination had been "quite a batch of progress" successful negations betwixt the commercialized unions and bid operating companies and Network Rail.

RMT wide caput Mick Lynch said: "We person heard each of this earlier from different ministers.

"We request Mr Harper to marque his relation arsenic facilitator tangible and real."

He called connected him to springiness obstruction companies "mandates that alteration them to marque an connection that volition make a settlement".

RMT, which represents workers specified arsenic guards and signalling staff, has already held 8 days of strikes since June which person caused wide disruption.

Along with different obstruction unions, its members privation wage rises successful enactment with the surging outgo of living. Inflation - the complaint astatine which prices emergence - deed 11.1% past month.

RMT says members moving for bid companies person been taxable to "pay freezes, threats to jobs and attacks connected their presumption and conditions".

Network Rail plans to shed 2,500 attraction jobs arsenic it tries to marque £2bn of savings implicit the adjacent 2 years.

The obstruction manufacture accidental reforms are besides needed to modernise the railway and marque wage rises affordable.

Strikes volition beryllium staged crossed 4 48-hour periods connected 13-14 and 16-17 December, and 3-4 and 6-7 January.

Some 40,000 workers volition locomotion retired and determination is apt to beryllium disruption successful the days astir the strikes owed to trains not being successful the close places.

British Trades Union Congress wide caput Frances O'Grady told the BBC determination was "a woody to beryllium done" betwixt the unions and obstruction bosses.

A woody "takes bully will, bully religion and radical astir the table, but it besides takes clarity," Ms O'Grady said.

She added that determination had been a caller "change successful tone" from the authorities aft Grant Shapps was removed arsenic transport caput successful September.

Mr Shapps, who is present concern secretary, publically clashed with obstruction unions earlier successful the twelvemonth erstwhile helium refused to get progressive successful negotiations. Both of Mr Shapps successors, Anne-Marie Trevelyan and Mr Harper, person met with national leaders.