The Transport Secretary has caused a stir after accusing rail unions of 'cynically targeting' major events to cause disruption.
It comes after the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union announced it would hold a fresh strike on May 13, the same day as the Eurovision final, after rejecting the latest pay deal from train operators. Meanwhile, the Aslef union will host a strike on June 3, the day of the FA Cup Final between Manchester United and Manchester City in London, after rejecting an offer from 16 train firms.
In an interview on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Mark Harper said that instead of putting the pay offer to its members and letting them decide, they are instead calling strikes "which are cynically targeting the Eurovision song contest".
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He added: "The reason that's so appalling is because that's not our song contest. We're hosting it for Ukraine."
Mr Harper added that the RMT should stand "in solidarity" with Ukrainian rail workers who are targeted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He later stated: "In the end, the people who work in those industries have got to make a judgement about whether they accept the pay offer. All that the rail unions are going to do is drive people away from it
"Take the two biggest events they're trying to disrupt, Eurovision and the FA Cup Final."
Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, spoke out against Mr Harper's accusations, labelling them 'ridiculous'. He said: "I take my hat off to Mr Harper.
"Because of all the accusations I have ever heard, and I have heard a good few in my time, this really is the most ridiculous.
"He claims we are not standing in solidarity with Ukraine when he knows – or should know – that we have stood in solidarity with the people of that country much longer than he has. We were visiting workers in that country when Mr Harper and his pals in the Tory Party were still pocketing hundreds of thousands of pounds from Russian oligarchs close to Mr Putin!
"I have been to Ukraine – I was there as the Russian tanks invaded – and ASLEF’s assistant general secretary, Simon Weller, has been there to talk to rail workers when the Russian bombs were falling. Mr Harper hasn’t. And we are members of the Ukraine Solidarity Campaign. Mr Harper isn’t."
He continued: "So I am not going to take any lessons in solidarity from a Tory cabinet minister who doesn’t understand what he is talking about. Standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ukraine has nothing to do with the Eurovision Song Contest, anyway, bless him.
"And we are not even on strike on the day of the contest, anyway.
"The truth is that Mr Harper should tell the train companies to come back to the negotiating table and make train drivers who have not had a pay increase since 2019 a sensible offer so they can buy, this year, what they could buy four years ago. Then there would be no more strikes.
"The only people who are responsible for the ongoing strikes in this country – in all the different sectors of the British economy – are the government and the employers. And seeking a pay increase has nothing whatsoever to do with Ukraine."
The RMT was contacted by the Manchester Evening News for comment, but the union said it has no update to provide beyond its previous statements.
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