TRANSPORT minister Grant Shapps has warned that this week’s strikes by the RMT are ‘jeopardising the future of the railway itself.’
But the Conservative secretary of state was accused of lying by the union about the industry's willingness to enter negotiations.
The industrial action over pay, job cuts and modernisation, will see workers on Network Rail walk out on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Though the dispute does not involve ScotRail staff, it will have a major impact on services north of the border, with only five routes in the Central Belt running.
Last-ditch talks on Friday failed.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme, that the strikes were a “huge act of self-harm.”
He added: “Of course, it is a reality that if we can’t get these railways modernised, if we can’t get the kind of efficiency that will mean that they can work on behalf of the travelling public, then of course it is jeopardising the future of the railway itself.
“I think it is a huge act of self-harm to go on strike at the moment. I don’t believe the workers are anywhere as militant as their unions who are leading them up the garden path. They are gunning for this strike. It is completely unnecessary.”
Mr Shapps said the RMT union that this week’s rail strikes will be “disastrous” for the industry.
He accused the union's general secretary Mick Lynch of “gunning” for industrial action that will inconvenience millions of people through the country.
“It is a huge mistake. The unions have been gunning for this strike throughout. This strike is completely unnecessary,” he said.
“It is going to inconvenience millions of people – students doing their GCSEs and A-levels, people trying to get to hospitals to try get operations that have been postponed, perhaps, during coronavirus.
“It is disastrous. It is no way to behave on the railway. There is no advantage to this. I know Mick Lynch says he is ‘nostalgic for union power’ but this is no way to behave.”
The Tory minister was asked why he personally had not met with the union, despite Mr Lynch writing to him asking for talks.
Mr Shapps described that as a “stunt”.
“The trade unions know that only the trade union and the employer can settle this. I will not cut across that. I will not undermine the employer’s works,” he said.
Mr Shapps also claimed the union had walked away from talks on Saturday so that they could attend a rally in central London.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said that was a “fabrication.”
He said: “We’re available to negotiate, this nonsense that we didn’t attend negotiations yesterday, which Grant Shapps has said, is an entire fabrication.
“We left Network Rail on Friday night at around half past seven and they said to us, ‘we are prepared to meet you on Sunday’.
“They never mentioned any negotiations on Saturday because they were going to speak to the Department for Transport about what they might be able to discuss with us.
“He’s making it up, what he’s saying is untrue, we didn’t attend a rally instead of negotiations. There were no negotiations scheduled and the train operating companies have not spoken to me or any of my officials since Thursday at lunchtime.”
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