The Standard View: Rail unions are damaging the economy – and their own interests

Dave Simonds
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

It is an inauspicious anniversary. This month marks a year since the first wave of rail strikes that have ruined travel plans, suppressed our local economies and transformed commuter behaviour.

Workers have adapted, as they always do — either by finding new routes to the office or working from home. And that is the real risk for the unions — that passengers simply get used to the disruption and change their habits, ultimately to the detriment of the rail network.

Nor can the economic price be underplayed. The week of rail strikes at the start of the year alone cost the capital an estimated £180m, given London’s reliance on the inflow of workers from the suburbs and Home Counties.

Now it appears that the unions are deliberately targeting days with major public events to ratchet up the pain — this weekend sees disruption for those going to the FA Cup final, the Epsom Derby and the Test cricket at Lord’s.

There has long been an offer from the train companies on the table. At the very least, union bosses must put it to their members. The longer these strikes go on, the more damage will be done to commuters, and ultimately to the future viability of the railways.

Respect Covid inquiry

In his first speech as Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak vowed that his administration would be based on “integrity” and “accountability”. It is therefore curious that the Government appears to be exploring every legal avenue in order to avoid providing potentially crucial material to the Covid-19 inquiry.

Indeed, it has not gone unnoticed that a government which abhors the use of judicial review against its own policies is now using the law to prevent its own inquiry from accessing information.

The point of this inquiry is not to embarrass ministers or publish titillating gossip from the height of lockdown. Indeed, the terms of reference are clear: to cover preparedness, the public health response, the health and social care response and our economic response. The report will then play a key role in helping government and civil society to learn the lessons from the pandemic.

It ought to be the inquiry’s job to determine what is and is not relevant to its investigations. The Government must cease resisting, disclose whatever is asked of it, and help make this report a blueprint for how a nation can turn tragedy and loss into a plan for the future. It is the least those who have lost loved ones deserve.

Bey the unforgettable

the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is part-way through an epic week of concerts by one of the world’s biggest stars, the incomparable Beyoncé. The show — two-and-a-half hours of note-perfect singing, joyful dancing and sparkling costumes — will stay long in the memory of those lucky enough to grab a ticket.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT