The
Rail
Delivery
Group


is
reported
to
have
warned
the
RMT
that
talks
at
national
level
may
not
continue
unless
the
‘best
and
final’
offer
is
put
to
its
members
in
a
ballot.

One
sticking
point
is
the
reforms
the
government
wants
to
introduce,
which
could
include
the
closure
of
most
ticket
offices.
The
RMT
has
insisted
that
any
pay
offers
must
be
unconditional,
and
is
preparing
to
stage
fresh
strikes
on
16,
18
and
30
March,
and
also
on
1
April.
There
will
be
a
separate
walkout
affecting
both
RMT
and
ASLEF
members
at
Transport
for
London
on
15
March.

The
offer
is
for
5
per
cent
for
2022-23
and
4
per
cent
for
2023-4,
in
exchange
for
changed
working
practices.

Transport
secretary
Mark
Harper
has
asked
the
RMT
to
let
its
members
consider
the
‘good’
pay
offer.
He
said
he
was
pleased
that
members
of
the
TSSA
had
accepted
it.

He
continued:
‘I
would
urge
the
RMT
to
put
the
offers
that
they’ve
had
to
their
members
and
let
their
members
make
the
decision,
and
I
think
they’re
good
offers.

‘And
I
think
that
their
members
ought
to
accept
them
and
I
hope
the
RMT
reconsiders
their
decision
not
even
to
put
those
offers
to
their
members.
If
we
get
those
offers
delivered,
we
can
all
work
together
to
deliver
a
better
railway
for
passengers.’

Chief
employers’
negotiator
Tim
Shoveller
told
Railnews:
‘We
spent
January
working
with
the
RMT
and
were
confident
that
the
package
agreed
would
be
accepted
by
another
4000
RMT
members
which
would
take
us
over
the
50
per
cent
acceptance
threshold,
but
this
was
not
put
to
members
to
vote
on.
The
fact
the
RMT
continues
to
refuse
to
put
this
to
the
members
is
our
biggest
challenge
and
also
for
their
members
who
want
a
vote
and
not
to
lose
any
more
money.

‘We
thought
we
were
on
the
verge
of
a
deal
three
times,
but
the
RMT
Executive
Committee
in
June,
December
and
January,
had
a
pattern
of
not
passing
this
on
to
members
for
a
vote.’

When
the
new
strike
dates
were
announced,
RMT
general
secretary
Mick
Lynch
had
said:
‘Rail
employers
are
not
being
given
a
fresh
mandate
by
the
government
to
offer
our
members
a
new
deal
on
pay,
conditions
and
job
security.
Therefore,
our
members
will
now
take
sustained
and
targeted
industrial
action
over
the
next
few
months.

‘The
government
can
settle
this
dispute
easily
by
unshackling
the
rail
companies.
However,
its
stubborn
refusal
to
do
so
will
now
mean
more
strike
action
and
a
very
disruptive
overtime
ban.

‘Ministers
cannot
continue
to
sit
on
their
hands
hoping
this
dispute
will
go
away
as
our
members
are
fully
prepared
to
fight
tooth
and
nail
for
a
negotiated
settlement
in
the
months
ahead.’