Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers on finding a resolution to industrial action on the railways.

The Government has no formal role in the negotiations but has facilitated meetings between trade unions and their employers in seeking to bring the disputes to an end. It has always been the role of employers to negotiate with unions, as the pay offers are put forward by the train operators. The Rail Delivery Group presented a fair and reasonable offer to the RMT which it rejected without allowing its members to vote on their future. We continue to urge the RMT to put the offer to their members in the train companies to give them a say on their future.