Rail
minister
Huw
Merriman
is
set
to
meet
rail
union
leaders
today
in
a
new
bid
to
resolve
the
disputes
with
the
RMT
and
ASLEF,
but
the
unions
have
repeated
their
allegation
that
the
government
is
blocking
a
settlement.

Transport
secretary
Mark
Harper,
has
denied
this,
pointing
out
that
he
is
arranging
the
talks
between
management
and
union
representatives,
while
Department
for
Transport
has
added
that
ministers
have
had
‘polite,
constructive
meetings
with
a
range
of
union
leaders
since
taking
office’.

But
RMT
general
secretary
Mick
Lynch
said:
‘Today
I
want
to
see
the
government
stop
play-acting
because
the
truth,
written
in
black
and
white
in
their
rail
contracts,
is
that
they’ve
been
in
complete
control
of
this
dispute
from
day
one.
The
train
operators
cannot
move
without
government
say-so.

‘Passengers,
workers
and
businesses
are
suffering
and
even
rail
company
managers
are
beginning
to
break
ranks
in
despair
at
the
government’s
approach.
The
minister
cannot
hide
behind
this
fairy
story
that
he
is
just
a
facilitator.
His
government
can
end
this
dispute
today
by
taking
out
the
conditions
they
put
in
to
torpedo
a
resolution
and
let
the
companies
make
a
deal.’

Today’s
talks
come
on
the
heels
of
a
new
offer
from
the
Rail
Delivery
Group
to
the
drivers’
union
ASLEF
on
Friday
afternoon,
which
would
mean
pay
rises
of
4
per
cent
for
last
year
and
this.
Proposed
changes
which
are
part
of
the
deal
include
a
Sunday
Commitment
Protocol,
so
that
drivers
rostered
to
work
a
Sunday
shift
would
be
contractually
committed
to
doing
so,
unless
alternative
cover
could
be
found.

Other
reforms
include
reducing
the
time
it
takes
to
train
drivers
through
better
use
of
technology,
changing
route-learning
procedures
so
that
drivers
would
be
assessed
on
their
progress
rather
than
spending
a
fixed
amount
of
time
on
learning,
allowing
suitably
qualified
managers
to
drive
trains
if
necessary
and
also
allow
employers
to
transfer
drivers
temporarily
to
depots
which
are
short
of
drivers
due
to
sickness.
The
RDG
also
wants
to
introduce
a
‘more
diverse
workforce’,
by
introducing
part-time
contracts
and
‘more
flexible
scheduling
arrangements’.

RDG
chair
Steve
Montgomery
said:
’This
is
a
fair
and
affordable
offer
in
challenging
times,
providing
a
significant
uplift
in
salary
for
train
drivers
while
bringing
in
common-sense
and
long-overdue
reforms.’