Labour MPs have been riding the gravy train, pocketing over £1.8 million in campaign cash from union bosses. Now it seems the unions are calling in their chips, demanding higher wages and shorter hours on the clock. The domino effect is already in motion, with ASLEF launching fresh strikes against LNER last week. Meanwhile, Guido hears that Transport Secretary Louise Haigh conveniently went on holiday just before the strike announcement derailed the headlines. You’d think she’d stay at home to deal with the fallout given LNER is now under state control…

It seems she’s changed track from her former stance on a Secretary of State’s hands-on approach to railway strikes. Haigh was more than happy to steamroll then-Transport Secretary Grant Shapps for his lack of involvement when dealing with the 2022 railway strikes. She told the Commons:

“Ministers [must] step up and show leadership. It requires them to get employers and unions round the table and address the very serious issues, involving pay and cuts in safety and maintenance staff, that are behind this dispute… the Secretary of State is washing his hands of any responsibility… Should the strikes go ahead tomorrow, they will represent a catastrophic failure of leadership.”

After a delayed response from her team, No 10 finally told Guido that Haigh has been “fully across all business at all times“, though didn’t deny that she had been on holiday. Labour isn’t working?

ASLEF have just announced fresh strikes, this time against LNER. Strikes every weekend until the end of November…

Whelan says it’s a separate dispute from the one agreed two days ago with Labour, blaming “a breakdown in industrial relations.” Seeing as LNER is state-owned, it looks like former union employee Louise Haigh will have more negotiations to do. Did someone say domino effect?

Paymaster general Nick Thomas-Symonds was asked by Nick Ferrari this morning why the government is capitulating to unions while removing the winter fuel allowance for some pensioners. Thomas-Symond’s response was the classic “it’ll cost more not to settle“:

“There is an enormous cost to not settling these disputes that would apply  in terms of the junior doctors because you’d obviously have had huge disruption to patients, and it applies in terms of ASLEF and the train drivers.”

Unhelpfully for Labour the exact unions it has appeased have already indicated they will be coming back for more. Junior doctors got a bumper backdated pay rise – the BMA is already plotting more strikes for next year. ASLEF rail drivers have had their pay boosted to an average of about £70,000 with no extra conditions on their lax working rules – Mick Whelan says that will keep him quiet for a maximum of six months before going for a new offer. And so it begins…

Thomas-Symonds all but confirmed GPs will be getting their demanded 11% pay offer:

“Well the answer to that, it’s an answer I used to give you in opposition, which was about getting around to the table and actually settling with people.”

Now we know why Reeves is so insistent tax rises will have to come in the budget. Someone has to pay for it…

The BBC reports that ASLEF and the Labour government are now “hopeful” of reaching a pay deal as they meet today. The union rejected the Rail Delivery Group’s last offer, which would have boosted the average annual pay for a driver to £65,000, because the Tory government proposed implementing training efficiencies. After 18 driver strikes they must be confident there will be no such cost-saving demands from Labour…

According to Electoral Commission records ASLEF has historically donated £922,252 to Labour and its politicians, £380,648 of which was trousered in the last four years. Money talks…

The Rail Delivery Group has been taken off negotiations, which are now run directly by the DfT under Louise Haigh. A former union employee, Haigh spoke at an ASLEF meeting in 2022 to proclaim it “an honour to work with this fantastic union on building a world class rail network.” Anyone who remembers British Rail will be dreading a re-nationalised Labour rail system…

UPDATE: Deal reached. 15% pay rise. Quelle suprise…

On Friday, the rail union ASLEF began a week of train strikes and reduced service, nixing Christmas party plans across the nation. Though that didn’t mean they were a Scrooge for their own party plans, as the same day, they hosted a glitzy Christmas bash with over a 100 union members at the four-star Earl of Doncaster hotel. Multiple Labour MPs attended the extravagant bash,  including leading figure in the hard-left Socialist Campaign Group, Kate Osborne, who kicked off the speeches at the elaborate event. She boasted to her “comrades” a TikTok video of the fun-fuelled evening. For the few, not the many…

ASLEF has got form, partial to a Christmas party in the past. Notably, hosting bashes in 2017, with “party hats and poppers optional” to accommodate the grinches, the day after voting on an indefinite overtime ban. Last year the Christmas party for local Bristol rail union members at a local pub was cancelled by the landlord due to anger at train strikes. ASLEF, so miffed by this, retaliated by telling its members to boycott the pub. At least this year the union got to celebrate in full swing, though they weakly protested that it couldn’t be called a party as “there was no music, no disco, no karaoke, and no dancing.” Co-conspirators may beg to differ…

As ASLEF yesterday announced yet another round of strikes, all the while Britain’s railways continue to crumble, their union boss has met the same fate on the broadcast round. Mick Whelan appeared on the Today programme and was left fumbling when pressed on the reality of train driver pay. Nick Robinson pointed out that drivers had gained a 17% pay rise, in real terms, over the past decade. The national average is 1%.

Robbo’s charge that “you’ve been doing very well, Mr Whelan, haven’t you?” was met by a period of confused mumbling as the rail baron scrambled for a response. If Nick thought his drivers were doing well, wait until he finds out what Mick earns…

This all comes as new polling conducted for the New Statesman found support for strikes is strongly correlated with earnings. A strong majority, 52%, Oppose those earning over £50,000 going out on strike, with just 17% supporting them. The New Statesman conveniently includes a low estimate for train driver’s starting salaries in their article, of £24,000, this doesn’t account for their rapid rise upon qualification. Even the Guardian is happy to admit they do average over £50,000…