Transport Sec Chris Grayling urges rail bosses to cap pay demands
TRANSPORT Secretary Chris Grayling last night begged union bosses to help slam the brakes on rising fares – by capping wage demands.
Amid a fierce Tory rebellion over higher ticket prices, the Secretary of State urged unions and train companies to switch to the less generous CPI measure of inflation when negotiating pay deals.
They are currently based on the higher Retail Prices Index – as are fares.
Insiders said the switch could save £1.4 billion between now and 2024.
Mr Grayling said: “It is difficult to justify using a different measure on inflation to the one that is widely used across services like the NHS.”
But furious Tory MPs described the pleas as “hopeless”.
And former Cabinet Minister Priti Patel became the latest to attack a possible 3.5 per cent rise in ticket prices.
Today’s RPI inflation figures – likely to be 3.5 per cent - set the base for January’s upcoming rise.
She stormed: “This kind of increase is totally unwarranted right now.”
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And Tory campaigner Rob Halfon said the eye-watering increases risked destroying Theresa May’s pledge to care for hard-up Brits.
He told The Sun: “The Prime Minister spoke about helping the ‘just about managing’.
“If this is to be more than words we should sure we don’t let these fares rise in the way it looks like they are going to. We’re talking about raising fares, fuel duty, other taxes … this is not what the Conservative party should be about.”
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