North East MPs have reacted to rail strikes in the North East, which started today and will continue for seven days across the rest of December.
Workers from National Rail, the company that owns the railways, and 14 train operators have walked out over wages, job security, and changes to working conditions - with unions saying that pay should reflect the rising cost of living.
National Rail estimates that only 20 per cent of scheduled trains will run during this week's strike days, with services only operating between 7:30 am and 6:30 pm, though many areas of the country will have no services running.
North East MPs have waded into the row, with both Labour and Conservative MPs voicing their opinions to The Northern Echo.
Read more: Darlington rail workers walk out with first 48-hour strike
Mary Kelly Foy, the Labour MP for City of Durham, said: "Disgracefully, the Government have decided to fan the flames of division rather than facilitate meaningful and pragmatic dialogue between Rail employees and workers.
"The Conservatives' economic mismanagement and failure to tackle the cost-living crisis has left working people facing an economic emergency. No rail worker wants to go on strike but faced with a generational cost of living crisis they, like working people across the country have been left with little choice.
"Anger should not be directed to the ordinary men and women sacrificing a day's pay to defend their living standards but towards the Ministers who have sabotaged negotiations by refusing to engage and imposing stringent conditions, ending any hope of finding a fair resolution before Christmas.
"I fear the only people who want these strikes are this utterly irresponsible and unserious Conservative Government."
Read more: Royal Mail makes ‘best and final offer’ to try to resolve dispute
Peter Gibson, the Conservative MP for Darlington, said: "The disruption to the travelling public, particularly at this important time of year cannot be underestimated. Whilst I understand the demands of strikers for higher wages, higher wage bills are only going to serve to increase inflation further, which in turn impacts all of us."
When asked if there is a glimmer of hope in the negotiations, Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines told BBC Breakfast: “It’s hard to see that today. I’ve learned, you know, through a long career, that sometimes the light is just around the corner.
“But where I stand today, I’d have to say that with the level of disruption the RMT are imposing, the way forward isn’t obvious.”
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But Transport Secretary Mark Harper said “almost 40 per cent” of RMT members at Network Rail voted in favour of an offer to resolve the dispute despite “a very clear instruction from their union leadership”.
He told GB News: “I think the tide is turning on people seeing that the offers we have made are reasonable, taking into account both the travelling public, but also the interest of taxpayers.”
The RMT said 63.6% voted to reject Network Rail’s offer on an 83% turnout.
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