Bucks MP labels planned rail strikes 'cruel and unnecessary'

The MP for Aylesbury, Rob Butler, has criticised the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) Union for calling a rail strike next week expected to cause significant disruption for people across Buckinghamshire.

Over 50,000 workers across the country are set to walk out on Tuesday 21^st, Thursday 23^rd, and Saturday 25^th June, meaning only about a fifth of services will be running on the affected days across Britain.

The planned action, which represents the largest dispute on the rail network since 1989, hits during exam week, as well as coinciding with the Glastonbury music festival and only ending a couple of days before the start of Wimbledon.

The RMT Union announced the strikes on 7^th June due to “the inability of the rail employers to come to a negotiated settlement with RMT.”

In a statement on their website, the RMT says: “Network Rail and the train operating companies have subjected their staff to multiyear pay freezes and plan to cut thousands of jobs which will make the railways unsafe.”

MP Rob Butler said: “This strike is unnecessary and it is cruel.

“The workers in my constituency who need trains to get to their jobs, the pensioners who need to get to their hospital appointments and the school children who need to get to class and exams next week won't be able to do so because of the intransigence of unions who refuse to adapt to modern ways of working.”

Local train operator Chiltern Railways has already warned passengers that they should only travel if absolutely essential because of the industrial action, and said there will be severe disruption to services.

In a vote in the House of Commons on Wednesday, the Labour Party refused to condemn the strikes.

[PICTURE: MP Rob Butler]

Mr Butler added:

“The vote in the House of Commons shows all too clearly that the Labour Party is on the side of unions, not the travelling public.

“Our railways are a proud part of our history, but they are struggling to keep pace with the needs of passengers post-pandemic – and are too often hamstrung by the antiquated and outdated work practices enforced by the trade unions.

“During the pandemic alone the Government delivered £16 billion of emergency funding to keep the railways running – equivalent to £600 for every family in the UK or £160,000 for every rail worker. This level of subsidy is unsustainable, and shows why reform is needed now. “

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch states: "Railway workers have been treated appallingly and despite our best efforts in negotiations, the rail industry with the support of the government has failed to take their concerns seriously.

"We have a cost-of-living crisis, and it is unacceptable for railway workers to either lose their jobs or face another year of a pay freeze when inflation is at 11.1pc and rising.”