TRAVEL expert Simon Calder has predicted more misery for passengers due to the ongoing rail dispute.
Speaking to GB News, the respected transport commentator, reflected on Government plans to press ahead with legal moves to introduce minimum service levels during strikes by transport workers.
He told Breakfast on GB News this morning (SUNDAY): “I fear the effect could actually be that instead of solving the deepest rail dispute in 40 years, we’re actually going to the two sides further apart, even more action.
“The main rail union says we’re never no closer to a settlement and so I fear there will be further disruption there too.”
Asked if a minimum level of service is a positive for passengers, Mr Calder, said: “You can get a service running. The thing is if you say ‘well, we’re going to run 40% of trains’, who decides which ones those are and who decides who’s allowed to go on that because they’re all going to fill up.”
“In Spain and in France, they already have similar legislation in transport. Effectively the Government says to the union, you’ve got to make sure you’ve got this many men and women in place and the union effectively kind of grumbles and does that. Similarly, in Spain, when you’ve had strikes by cabin crew, they will sometimes be told ‘you’ve got to fly, but that’s all you do. You just look after the safety. You’re not going to be selling tea and sandwiches and so on’. So it sort of works, but the Union response is so furious, that they say effectively, this is ripping up workers’ rights to strike. Even the General Secretary of Aslef, the train driver’s union, said, ‘well if you do that, you’ll just find that you’ve got quite a lot of drivers phoning up sick,’ and it simply won’t happen.
“There are lots of problems associated with it. It’s not going to come in until next year anyway if it gets through a very divided Parliament, and it will be interesting to see how it does work and whether you can actually do this.”
