The RMT leader, Mick Lynch, has claimed he has not met a government minister since January as he downplayed prospects of a resolution to the long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
The next strike by members of the of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union takes place on Thursday, with strikes also scheduled for Saturday and 29 July.
About 20,000 station staff, train managers and catering staff across 14 operation companies will be involved in the action, with passengers advised to check their travel arrangements.
Asked about the RMT’s relationship with the government amid recent signs of settlement of some public sector pay disputes, Lynch told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme: “[There has been] no contact. They seem to pick out the RMT as a special category where they can’t negotiate on a reasonable basis.
“We’re available to talk to them, but I don’t think I’ve met a government minister since January, and even the employers now have stopped negotiating.”
General Sec of the RMT Union, Mick Lynch, says he hasn't met a government minister "since January".
— Sophy Ridge on Sunday & The Take (@RidgeOnSunday) July 16, 2023
"They've certainly offered the others more than we've been offered," he adds.#Ridge https://t.co/ZoMhCmTrtv
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Teachers’ unions and the FDA union, which represents senior civil servants, have welcomed recent pay offers but other public sector workers, such as junior doctors and consultants, have said the below-inflation rises do not go far enough.
Lynch said: “I don’t know whether they’re waiting for all this other stuff to be cleared out the way. We don’t know if there’s going to be settlements yet – they’re out for referendum and consultation with their members, we’ll see.
“They’ve certainly offered the others more than we’ve been offered. There’s no strings attached to those deals; we’ve got to accept a whole host of change and dilution to those terms and conditions, and job losses.”
Train operators this month began the process of closing railway station ticket offices, with hundreds planned to shut across England, enraging the RMT, for which it has been a sticking point in its dispute with the companies.
While members of the union who are at Network Rail voted in March to accept a 9% pay offer over two years, the union’s executive has rejected a similar pay offer from train operators, with temporary guarantees over job security regarded as insufficient as many existing roles are set to be scrapped.
Lynch, who said strikes would continue until an agreement was reached, also said Labour should be putting “clear water” between its party, the Conservatives and the rightwing press when it came to workers suffering as a result of the cost of living crisis.
“It’s a shame that Labour and others can’t show that they’re distinct from the kind of consensus that’s got us into this trouble where working people are struggling,” he said. “The cost of living crisis seems to be ignored by the political class to a certain extent.”
Talking to Ridge about the public sector pay offers, Jonathan Reynolds, the shadow business secretary, said: “I think the government’s got to recognise – I think it has recognised – its early approach was completely wrong. And actually the lack of respect they’ve shown for a lot of the public sector, I think, has been one of the aggravating factors in the industrial action we’ve seen.”
Aslef, the train drivers’ union, is also taking industrial action this week. Members at 16 companies will refuse to work overtime from Monday to Saturday inclusive.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “This government has played its part by facilitating fair and reasonable pay offers that would see generous increases for rail workers. Union leaders should stop blocking their members from having a vote on these offers and give them the chance to help resolve this dispute.”
