County Cllr calls for Ministers to enter rail talks

“They are quick on the rhetoric, but no so quick to talk”

County Cllr Julie Gibson, has echoed calls for the Government to get around the table and negotiate an end to the train strikes. Cllr Gibson has accused Ministers of being “quick on the rhetoric, but not so quick to talk.” Her call comes as another round of strikes may potentially be on the cards for July. “It is vital”, she said, “that the Department for Transport pull their head out of the sand and constructively work with the rail unions and rail operators to try avoid further national strikes.”

Cllr Gibson continued: “However, what we are seeing is a Government pouring petrol instead of attempting to take the heat out of the row – it’s almost as if they want the country to grind to a halt so they can feed off the division. They should realise that talking is not a weakness and listening is a strength.”

Cllr Gibson said: “Not only do they need to be addressing the wider issues that have led to this situation, we also need more incentivisation for people to use the rail service. Unfortunately, at the moment, we aren’t seeing that. Cancelled trains, rail replacement buses are already becoming a way of life for many commuters. It is essential that we see investment in services that are safe, reliable and affordable in order for Lancashire to prosper.”

Cllr Gibson said: “No-one is against modernisation but modernisation has to include a fully integrated transport system that reaches out across all communities providing a sustainable, affordable and reliable network and rewards workers with pay, terms and conditions that befit the 21^st Century. The Government’s tactics of trying to manufacture a “them and us” situation, is childish and at the very worst dangerous to the future of our transport system. I urge ministers to engage in “grown up” politics, stop the soundbites and find a negotiated way forward.”