§ 6. Mr. Canavanasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will meet representatives of the railway workers' unions to discuss future investment in the railways and matters pertaining thereto.
§ Mr. David HowellI have done so, at a meeting of the Rail Council, and I hope that a similar opportunity will arise in the future.
§ Mr. CanavanWill the Secretary of State urge British Rail to give further consideration to ASLEF's claim, as the dispute has already cost about £100 million, which is more than what British Rail would hope to gain by the introduction of flexible rostering, even over the next decade? Does not today's decision to set up a special Cabinet Committee to preside over the possible closure of the complete railway network, and the inclusion in that Committee of the chairman of the Tory Party, prove conclusively that the Tory Party is trying politically to engineer and exploit the dispute to try to smash the trade union movement?
§ Mr. HowellThose are fantasies in the hon. Gentleman's mind. If consideration is to be given, perhaps it should be consideration by those who have called this strike and, indeed, the strike action earlier in the year. Both caused much misery and suffering to the travelling public, to families going on holiday, grave difficulties for the commuter and have drained away millions of pounds that could have gone into investment in a modern railway.
§ Mr. LyellBefore my right hon. Friend discusses with Mr. Buckton any further investment, will he make it clear to Mr. Buckton that his protestations this morning on radio, that he wants to negotiate with British Rail, would come from him rather better if he had not run through a full year of negotiations on flexible rostering and failed to implement anything that was discussed, including the report of Lord McCarthy, for which he asked?
§ Mr. HowellThose points are self-evident and widely understood by those who want to see a modern railway and believe that some unwisdom has been shown by the ASLEF executive in charging into the strike and causing great damage to the railways' future.