Mick Lynch accuses Tory minister of lying and insists government torpedoed a deal to prevent rail strikes

The RMT’s general secretary Mick Lynch has slammed the Transport Secretary Mark Harper, accusing the Tory minister of lying and of ‘torpedoing’ a deal to end the rail strikes.

Lynch claimed that ministers were “undermining efforts to get a settlement” and had sunk an agreement in December.

Speaking to Sky News, Lynch was asked about Harper’s claims that the government had not torpedoed a deal, to which he replied: “Well he’s not telling you the truth, because we had a document with the train operating companies that did not include driver only operation, it was taken away for approval in Whitehall at the DfT and they inserted about 8 or 9 bullet points that undermined the negotiations.

“That was a direct intervention of government ministers, we know that to be true and if he’s saying that didn’t happen he’s simply not telling you the whole truth.”

RMT members are striking not only over poor pay but also over passenger safety.

https://news.sky.com/video/rail-strikes-rmt-chief-accuses-govt-of-lying-as-transport-secretary-denies-blocking-settlement-with-union-12778892

Read the full article here:
https://leftfootforward.org/2023/01/rmts-mick-lynch-slams-tory-minister-for-lying-and-insists-government-torpedoed-a-deal-to-prevent-rail-strikes/