Peace urged in rail dispute

Press, 22 July 1989, Page 11

Peace urged in rail dispute

NZPA-Reuter London Britain’s opposition Labour Party, mocked by the Prime Minister, Mrs Margaret Thatcher, as the puppet of the trade unions, appealed for peace yesterday in a national rail dispute and warned strikers they would fail to win higher pay. The Labour leader, Mr Neil Kinnock, appealed for an end to the costly dispute which has paralysed the nation’s rail network once a week for the past five weeks. “I want the dispute resolved. It is clear that no more money will be put on the table,” he said. Mrs Thatcher, facing a wave of industrial unrest, called on Labour earlier this week to distance itself from the striking rail

workers, accusing the party of being in the unions’ grip. Mr Kinnock sidestepped a direct question on whether the National Union of Railwaymen should accept State-owned British Rail’s 8.8 per cent pay offer, raised from 7 per cent. “I am not going to dictate to them what they should accept,” he said. But he added it was a “plain fact” that British Rail’s offer, already accepted by two smaller rail unions, would not be increased. The union decided on Monday to reject the 8.8 per cent offer, and called for further talks on pay. It has scheduled a sixth national strike for next Wednesday, despite British Rail statements that it will not improve the offer.