Unions & train bosses MUST end ‘patchwork’ shifts to deliver 7-day service, Transport Secretary warns
RAIL unions and train bosses must put an end to outdated working practices to deliver a seven-day service, the Transport Secretary has warned.
Heidi Alexander blasted the current system as a “patchwork” mess, where Sunday services still rely on drivers volunteering for shifts.
Vowing to push through much-needed reform, she told The Sun: “I’m clear that we need to have a seven-day railway.
“One of the problems the public experiences at the moment is that on a Sunday in some parts of the country, it requires staff to volunteer to work.
“It’s a total patchwork quilt of different contracts terms and conditions.
“We need to sit down with the trade union leadership and talk to them about how we move together to providing that seven-day service.”
The Cabinet Minister insisted she wants to end the constant blame games between unions and rail operators, and instead work towards a modern railway.
She said she wants a “grown-up” relationship” with unions but made clear she won’t back down if they refuse to modernise.
On her approach to future pay negotiations, Ms Alexander declared: “We need to reform some working practices.
“And so when we have negotiations about pay, for example, we need to be clear what productivity improvements we want in return.”
And on Labour’s plans to bring rail operators into public ownership, she argued it will help tackle delays and cancellations by streamlining management and cutting through red tape.
Ms Alexander explained: “If you’ve got one person in charge of both train operations and sorting out infrastructure problems, then this is going to lead to much better management.”
Her comments came as she visited Reading to launch new screens showing train punctuality and cancellations, now mandatory at stations nationwide.