The
Rail
Delivery
Group
has
refused
a
demand
from
the
RMT
for
a
rail
industry
summit,
to
be
attended
by
the
government,
employers
and
the
rail
unions.

The
union
said
it
wanted
to
resolve
the
‘toxic
rail
dispute’
which
began
a
year
ago.
The
RMT
launched
a
national
strike
ballot
on
26
April
2022,
in
which
a
majority
of
workers
at
rail
operators
and
Network
Rail
voted
for
industrial
action.

Since
the
dispute
began
the
RMT
has
since
reached
agreement
with
Network
Rail
but
a
dispute
with
most
English
train
operators
over
pay
and
conditions
has
continued,
most
recently
resulting
in
walkouts
by
ASLEF
members
on
Friday
of
last
week
and
a
further
stoppage
by
RMT
members
on
Saturday.
More
strikes
have
been
called
by
ASLEF
for
31
May
and
3
June,
while
ASLEF
also
staged
an
overtime
ban
on
Saturday.
This
is
continuing
from
today
until
20
May,
and
again
on
1
June.

On
the
eve
of
the
latest
strikes,
RMT
general
secretary
Mick
Lynch
wrote
to
transport
secretary
Mark
Harper,
saying:
‘While
we
have
reached
agreements
for
rail
workers
with
the
Scottish
and
Welsh
governments
your
government’s
management
of
the
dispute
is
set
to
plunge
our
railways
into
even
more
and
worse
disruption
for
months
to
come.

‘Instead
of
bringing
management
and
unions
together,
you
are
driving
a
deeper
wedge
between
them.

‘Even
the
representatives
of
all
the
train
opening
companies
have
now
said
your
Minimum
Services
Strikes
legislation
could
mean
trade
unions
increasingly
vote
to
take
strike
action
more
frequently

‘As
with
the
change
in
direction
by
the
government
in
taking
the
TransPennine
Express
contact
into
public
ownership
there
must
also
be
a
fresh
approach
to
the
rail
dispute.
The
government
can
no
longer
stick
its
head
in
the
stand
and
must
instead
get
a
grip
and
reset
the
relationships.’

No
reply
has
yet
been
published
from
the
transport
secretary,
but
the
Rail
Delivery
Group
has
issued
a
statement
which
says:
‘While
we
are
always
open
to
dialogue,
the
only
summit
the
RMT
need
is
between
its
negotiating
team
and
its
executive
committee.
Time
and
time
again
they
have
blocked
the
deal
negotiated
line
by
line
by
its
top
team
from
going
out
to
its
membership
for
a
vote,
with
frontline
losing
out
on
a
pay
rise
of
up
to
13
per
cent
as
a
result.
It’s
time
the
union
leadership
and
executive
finally
agreed
on
what
they
want
from
these
negotiations.’