As the row over rail worker’s pay and conditions continues, the industry has warned that taxpayers are ultimately footing part of the cost of running Britain’s railways.
Drivers from 16 rail operators will strike on Friday and take part in an overtime ban on Saturday, as unions RMT and Aslef both launch industrial action.
Though Aslef boss Mick Whelan laid the blame on the government for the strikes, which mark the latest in the now-year-old dispute, the response simply saw more finger-pointing.
“The government appears happy to let passengers suffer in the mistaken belief that they can bully us into submission,” he said, as union members eye inflation-linked pay rises.
However, given taxpayers are still subsidising Britain’s railways – as laid out by the Rail Delivery Group in light of its dispute over closing the UK’s ticket offices – the government took a similar line.
“After taxpayers supported rail workers throughout the pandemic, it’s frustrating to see both Aslef and RMT coordinate their strikes with the aim of causing as much disruption as possible on the last weekend of the summer holidays,” a spokesperson said.
Rail Delivery Group's Jacqueline Starr said consumers were still footing part of the bill on Friday, as consultations on ticket office closures continue.
Taxpayers had forked out £16.9 billion to keep the rail industry on its feet between April 2020 and March 2021 as lockdowns significantly weighed on ticket revenues.
This translated to four-fifths of the near-£21 billion cost of running the railways over the year, according to Office of Rail and Road data.
Both sides have called for reform of the railways and a Rail Delivery Group spokesperson accused union leaders of having their “heads in the sand”.
With an offer that would lift drivers' annual salary from £60,000 to almost £65,000, the spokesperson pointed to the need for collaboration.
“We urge the Aslef leadership to acknowledge the substantial financial challenges facing the rail industry and work with us to achieve a more dependable and robust railway system,” they added.
Fellow union RMT had pointed to government support for rail operators' losses last month.
The latest round of industrial action suggests that resolution is still far away.