Following last week’s walkouts, which caused significant disruption across the United Kingdom, a rail workers’ union has stated that it is not in a hurry to call for further strikes in July.
Eddie Dempsey, senior assistant general secretary of the RMT, stated that the organization did not “take these steps lightly.”
Mr. Dempsey, who is also leading negotiations with Network Rail, stated that it had been a week of intense negotiations.
The parties are attempting to reach an accord to prevent future strikes.
Thousands of RMT members employed by Network Rail and 13 other train companies walked off the job on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday of last week in a dispute over job cuts, pay, and working conditions.
On strike days, half of the rail network was closed, and as a result, subsequent days’ services were also disrupted.
The union has warned that additional strike action may follow.
Dempsey stated, “We’ve told people we’re not in a hurry.”
“I believe we’ve made a pretty strong point with our strike action. We take these actions seriously. We are not in a hurry to convene in the boardroom and determine further action.”
Before discussing wages and working conditions, the RMT and Network Rail are attempting to reach an agreement on job security.
Mr. Dempsey stated that this week’s discussions had been “fairly intense.”
“Progress is being made in terms of discussions. Mr. Dempsey stated, “There are still some fundamental points of contention between us, which is why we’re seeking feedback, but we have not yet addressed the issue of pay.
This will be an extremely important issue, and we will have to wait and see if there is a solution that will satisfy our people.
Communicates in a ‘constructive’ manner
Tim Shoveller, the chief negotiator for Network Rail, expressed “cautious optimism” that an agreement would be reached with the RMT union to prevent future strikes.
Mr. Shoveller stated on the Today show that discussions since last week’s walkouts had been “constructive.”
Network Rail sent the RMT a letter on 20 June, the day before the first rail strike, inviting them to a formal consultation meeting on 1 July regarding the implementation of reforms to working practices that would result in job losses.
This week, a spokesperson told that although the letter had not been retracted, all parties had agreed to temporarily set it aside to allow negotiations to continue, and it would only be implemented if negotiations stalled.
Mr. Shoveller has confirmed that the meeting originally scheduled for this morning to formally launch this process will no longer occur.
He stated that there was “no need” for it because negotiation was the most effective means of reaching an agreement. He added, “The letter remains in place, but that is not preventing us from having the necessary conversations at this time.”
Mr. Shoveller described this as a “pragmatic position” after “pragmatic conversations” with the RMT this week, and no formal consultation was required at this time.
