Plan to replace striking workers with agency staff branded ‘unethical and morally reprehensible’ by RMT
The RMT trade union has condemned plans backed by MPs which would allow striking workers to be replaced with agency staff.
The measure was voted in Commons on Monday night by a majority of 87 votes, 289 to 202, with the union’s general secretary Mick Lynch calling it “unethical and morally reprehensible”.
According to the union, replacing striking personnel with agency workers could lead to safety issues.
“Agency workers will not have the skill, training, or relevant competences to drive a train to do complex maintenance work on the track, to signal trains or to do a whole host of safety critical work on the network,” Lynch said.
“Instead of trying to reduce trade union rights which are already the worst in western Europe, the government should be unshackling Network Rail and the train operating companies so we can secure a negotiated settlement on the railways.”
Last night, Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner called the proposal’s “anti-business and anti-worker” as they will risk public safety while Tory MP Alec Shelbrooke said the measure was not in the party’s 2019 manifesto.
“The private sector does have quite a few unscrupulous employers and if people are going to lose their ability to have an effect when they withdraw their labour, then I am afraid they have effectively lost the ability to withdraw their labour,” he said.
“For the first time in my entire parliamentary career I shall be voting against the Government tonight on the measure to bring in agency workers.”
The comments came on the heels of train driver union Aslef announcing a nation-wide strike.