The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has issued a stark warning to the government against using flawed productivity measures as a basis for wage restraint for railway workers. The union argued that linking pay offers above inflation to “productivity savings” derived from staff would be a risky approach, potentially repeating the mistakes of austerity and threatening the long-term future of the railway.

RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey challenged claims that labour costs are the main driver of falling productivity. He said official figures fail to account for broader structural issues in the industry, including the costs of outsourcing, leasing charges, and private debt, while narrowly focusing on staff to push a political agenda.

In a letter to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, Mr Dempsey wrote: “It would be disastrous, in my view, for the Labour government to impose work intensification and wage restraint on public sector workers using productivity measures that are not fit for purpose and reinforcing a bogus right-wing narrative about public sector inefficiency. My union is not afraid of productivity discussions. Far from it. We are keen to engage with your government on our own ideas for the industry’s future.”

He added: “The real drag on rail productivity has come as a result of disastrous fragmentation caused by privatisation. Rail workers do their jobs. They are productive. Using their pay negotiations to con the public into thinking this will fix the industry’s problems is not the right approach. The truth is, we’re still paying the price for decades of failed privatisation.”

Image: RMT