Avanti bosses should ‘get back round the table’ to resolve strike, says minister

The Transport Secretary has urged Avanti West Coast to negotiate a solution to planned new year’s strikes as she defended the Government’s approach to industrial action.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union announced a series of strikes on Avanti West Coast’s services over the coming months in a dispute over rest day working, with the first walk-outs taking place on New Year’s Eve and January 2.

The union has described the move as “the only way to focus management’s minds on reaching a negotiated settlement”, while the company insisted its offer – rejected by the union – had been “very reasonable”.

Asked about the impending industrial action on Friday, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said it was up to Avanti’s bosses to resume negotiations.

She told Sky News: “What I want to see happen is for the leadership of Avanti West Coast, which is currently a privately owned train operating company, to get back round the table with the RMT to see what can be done to avoid action happening.”

Strikes planned for the Christmas period have already been called off.

But the proposed walkouts over the new year have raised questions for the Government, which agreed a “no strings” pay deal with the rail unions as a way of ending long-running industrial action.

Ms Alexander defended the Government’s deal, saying the proposed Avanti strike was “not on the same scale” as the action seen under the Conservatives.

She said: “Let me be clear about the difference between what was happening under the previous Conservative government, who had a scorched earth approach to industrial relations, and we saw strike after strike after strike across the whole of the network.

“The industrial action that may happen on Avanti West Coast is one train operating company. There are 14 train operating companies, so this just applies to one area.

“I don’t want this strike to happen, nobody wants these strikes to happen, but it is not on the same scale as what we saw under the previous Conservative government.”

She added that Avanti currently expected to run around a quarter of its West Coast services during the industrial action.

As well as December 31 and January 2, strikes are also planned for Sundays between January 12 and May 25.

A spokesperson for Avanti has previously said the strike would cause “significant disruption” and the company is “open to working with the RMT to resolve the dispute”.