Rail workers have entered the second half of their latest 48-hour strike – as the business secretary says he is hopeful that a resolution can be found “sooner rather than later”.
Grant Shapps was speaking to Sky News as members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union prepared for another day of industrial action in their long-running dispute over pay and conditions.
He said: “We certainly don’t want to see the strikes take place, they don’t help anybody.
“We do think there are some reasonable pay deals on the table…when it comes to trains, there’s an offer there on the table of some 8-9% depending on the particular area people are in, in return for modernisations.
“So we don’t think these strikes are necessary.
“We certainly want to see people being able to get around this Christmas and I very much hope to see (strikes) come to an end sooner rather than later.”
Strikes every day before Christmas – which sectors are affected and why
On Friday, RMT chief Mick Lynch…
