Rail strikes: Unions say solution is 'further away' than ever

A solution to the labour quality disrupting the UK's obstruction services is nary closer, according to national leaders.

Mick Whelan, person of bid drivers' national Aslef, said: "We're further distant than we started."

He was giving grounds to MPs connected parliament's transport prime committee, alongside leaders of the different unions representing obstruction workers.

Unions person held a bid of strikes since past summer, starring to the wide cancellation of services.

When asked by MPs however adjacent a solution was connected a standard of 1 to 10, Mr Whelan said: "I deliberation you tin see zero."

On Friday obstruction companies made their archetypal connection to drivers, an 8% wage emergence dispersed implicit 2 years.

But Mr Whelan said helium could not urge "any 1 constituent of it", adding it could "destroy the quality to spell backmost to talks successful future".

The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (Aslef), representing bid drivers, has antecedently said it was "chasing a wage emergence that astatine slightest puts a dent" successful the interaction from rising prices, aft ostentation roseate supra 10%.

Unions representing workers different than drivers, including the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) and the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, are besides campaigning for amended wage and conditions for their members.

Frank Ward, interim wide caput of the TSSA, told the committee proceeding helium could not disagree with Mr Whelan's statement.

Mick Lynch, wide caput of the RMT, the largest obstruction union, said the prospects of a woody depended connected discussions, and "until we get an statement we're not adjacent to it".

He said "we're a agelong mode connected pay", highlighting that offers made truthful acold were good beneath inflation. Last twelvemonth the RMT rejected obstruction companies' connection of 8% implicit 2 years.

Mr Lynch besides said conditions attached to the connection from bid companies - which included summons bureau closures and the enlargement of operator lone trains, which the RMT says threatens the relation of guards - progressive "such profound changes that they'll beryllium precise hard for immoderate national to accept".

Steve Montgomery, seat of the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents bid companies, said the determination to person drivers operating bid doors was aimed astatine improving punctuality and reliability, and not astir removing different unit altogether. There would beryllium a 2nd idiosyncratic connected committee "on a batch of occasions" helium said.

Mr Montgomery told MPs helium believed determination was an accidental to "try and determination forward" with the RMT.

"I deliberation we're wrong tenable areas of wherever I deliberation we tin get a deal. But we person to enactment done it with them," helium said.

Mr Montgomery confirmed determination would beryllium further talks connected Thursday with some the RMT and TSSA.

He acknowledged the Aslef quality was further behind.

"We request to bash much enactment with [Aslef] and effort and get backmost circular the table," helium said.

The manufacture was not trying to chopped wages oregon summation workers' hours, Mr Montgomery said. Instead it wanted to amended productivity, making the railway much outgo effective, helium said.

Tim Shoveller, main negotiator for Network Rail, besides struck an optimistic tone, standing his organisation's closeness of a woody with the RMT arsenic 7 retired of 10.

In December Network Rail, which owns and operates the UK's obstruction infrastructure, offered to rise wage for its unit by astir 9% implicit 2 years, but with changes to moving conditions attached.

Mr Shoveller said lone a mates of 1000 much RMT members astatine Network Rail would request to ballot successful favour of the woody that had been offered, for it to conscionable the threshold for acceptance.