PM accused of ‘playing games’ as rail strike continues

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The prime minister has been accused of “playing games” quite than attempting to assist resolve the long-running practice drivers’ dispute as one other strike induced journey disruption throughout elements of England.

Members of Aslef on some of the busiest commuter routes, together with many into London, walked out on Tuesday, crippling providers on operators such as Southern, SouthJapanese, Gatwick Express and South Western Railway.

Some areas had no trains all day, forcing many individuals onto the roads, main to very large site visitors jams in elements of the nation.

Train drivers at Northern Trains and the TransPennine Express are putting as we speak (31 January) as half of a rolling programme of motion till early subsequent week in a bitter row over pay and situations.

None of the operators hit by strikes used new rules aimed toward making certain a minimal stage of service throughout industrial motion.

Read extra: January, February and March practice strike dates – every little thing you could learn about rail disruption

Downing Street mentioned it can contemplate if they’ll “strengthen” minimal service stage (MSL) guidelines after practice operators opted to not use the brand new legislation throughout strikes.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman mentioned: “This is something that the rail companies have asked for and we have delivered it for them.

“We believe they should be ready to use the legislation to reduce the impact of rail strikes on passengers, but we are always open to looking at how we can strengthen the rules around MSLs to ensure they deliver for the best interests of passengers. That’s something we will continue to look at and of course we will keep discussing with the rail companies themselves.”

Sources informed the PA information company that rail corporations had not requested for the rules amid warnings from unions and opposition politicians that they had been unworkable.

TUC basic secretary Paul Nowak informed PA: “This is a desperate attempt to distract from the Government’s failings. Employers from rail to health warned months ago these new laws are unworkable and would escalate industrial tensions.

“The PM should stop playing games and help resolve this dispute.”

A spokesperson for Rail Delivery Group, mentioned: “Minimum Service Level legislation is one of many useful tools for managing strike disruption, but it is not a silver bullet.

“Operators’ guiding principle is always to make sure they can offer the best, most reliable services possible for their passengers on and around industrial action days, and to do that they need to make careful assessments of their own particular operational circumstances before deciding the best way forward.”

Meanwhile, the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) introduced a strike by London Overground employees in a separate dispute over pay.

More than 300 union members will stroll out for 48 hours on 19 February and once more on 4 March.

Security, station, income and management workers are amongst these taking industrial motion.

Aslef says it has not met with Transport Secretary Mark Harper for greater than a yr regardless of a collection of strikes which have induced journey distress and value industries such as hospitality tens of hundreds of thousands of kilos in misplaced enterprise.

A Department of Transport spokesperson mentioned on Monday: “Aslef’s leadership is refusing to let their members vote on an offer that would see the average train driver’s salary increase to £65,000.

“The Transport Secretary and Rail Minister have already facilitated talks that led to this fair and reasonable offer from industry – Aslef bosses should put it to their members so we can resolve the dispute, which has already happened with the RMT, TSSA and Unite unions.

“With passenger revenues not having recovered since the pandemic, the taxpayer has had to prop up the railways with £12 billion in the past year alone – these strikes will not change the need for urgent workplace reforms that Aslef continue to block.”

It is known that rail trade sources don’t recognise the concept that the Government was requested to convey ahead these new legal guidelines.

But the rail trade did have interaction all through the method of the laws being drafted.