Labour defends pay offers for rail staff and junior docs to finish strikes

Labour has defended pay deals for rail workers and junior doctors that could bring an end to long-running industrial action.

Paymaster General Nick Thomas-Symonds said the price of not settling the rail dispute had already cost the economy hundreds of millions of pounds. It comes after the train drivers’ union Aslef said its members will vote on a pay offer – raising hopes of an end to two years of misery for commuters.

After talks with the Department for Transport, the union has recommended drivers accept a 14.25% offer.
It is made up of 5% for 2022-23, 4.75% for 2023-24 and 4.5% for the coming financial year. Asked how the deal squared with the economic turmoil Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she has inherited after 14 years of Tory rule, he told the BBC : “We are settling disputes – the continuation of which is costing the economy hundreds of millions of pounds.”

He added: “I sincerely hope it is approved because we want to move forward with a better passenger experience on the railways and a better value frankly for taxpayers. You’ve seen the estimates – the disruption since 2022 of up to £850million of lost revenue on our railways. We can’t continue like that.”

In an effort to tackle the record NHS waiting list, the Government has also offered junior doctors an average pay increase of 22.3% over two years. This is over two years and includes the 8.8% from last year.
Mr Thomas Symonds was also pressed on accusations the Government is prioritising unions over pensioners after Ms Reeves scrapped the winter fuel payments for millions. Instead of being available to all pensioners, the measure will now be means tested.

He told LBC: “In relation to pensioners we’ve committed to the triple lock for the course of this Parliament and that will stand.” He rejected the notion there had been a “trade-off”, saying an end to the widespread strike action means the country will not face the “additional cost of disruption”.

Mr Thomas-Symonds also said it was “unfair” to suggest other public sector workers will be queuing up for a 15% pay rise after the Government’s recent offers. Reports emerged on Friday that GPs are plying pressure for a better deal.

Mr Thomas-Symonds also told Times Radio: “It’s about in each individual case sitting down and getting around the table. “It’s what we repeatedly said in opposition… We’ve shown with the junior doctors, we’ve shown in relation to Aslef that we can do this by sitting down, finding solutions.”

It came as train drivers union Aslef on Friday announced 22 new strike days, which relate to a separate dispute from the one which is expected to have been resolved this week. It relates to train drivers working for LNER, which runs the passenger service on the East Coast main line between London and Edinburgh.

Hundreds of Border Force officers at London’s Heathrow Airport on Friday announced they are to take industrial action for 23 days from August 31. Some 650 members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union will be on strike from the last day of August to September 3, then working-to-rule and refusing to work overtime until September 22.

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “We know our strike action is likely to cause serious disruption to travellers using Heathrow at the end of the summer, but the strike can be avoided if the employer listens to the concerns of our members.”