Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) social, and (2) economic, effects of the South Western Railways strikes which began on 2 December.
The RMT’s decision to take industrial action is completely disproportionate. Every single train which did not run as a result of these totally unnecessary strikes affected thousands of passengers during an incredibly busy period for the railway. The impact is on not only commuters, but also on a whole range of people who rely on the railway – children travelling to school, outpatients travelling to hospital appointments and small businesses that count on the railway bringing in customers and suppliers.