Transport Secretary condemns rail strike action
Patrick McLoughlin condemns RMT rail strikes.
Keep informed about the June 2015 rail strike.
Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin has condemned new plans for Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union rail strikes as totally unreasonable.
Patrick McLoughlin said:
Millions of hardworking people will be disrupted by this unnecessary and unreasonable strike action. I condemn it wholeheartedly and urge the union to reconsider.
Over the past 4 years Network Rail staff have enjoyed pay rises 8 times higher than other public sector workers. By any measure RMT members already get a fair deal.
It is very disappointing that RMT has now rejected a deal delivered through Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) talks that the union’s leadership agreed was a reasonable offer.
The government will do everything it can to help keep people and goods moving during the strike.
The offer that has been rejected:
- 2015: 1.0% increase, consolidated, with minimum £250
- 2016: 1.4% increase, consolidated, plus up to a further 0.7% available subject to agreement on productivity measures
- guarantee of no compulsory redundancies for the 2 year period
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