At the centre of the #railstrike dispute is a decision by the government to cut investment in our railways and tube by £4bn. This is the wrong call when we should be putting more money into public transport to help people with the cost of travel.
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1/6
Rather than bringing unions and train operators back round the table with a new funding settlement, the government is doubling down on the need for pay restraint to stop a wage-price spiral.
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2/6
Wages have been stagnant for over 10 years – so many workers have already seen a big squeeze in their living standards. Public sector workers have been particularly hard hit with pay falling by 4% in real terms for over a decade.
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Regular wages went down by 2.2%, not up in real terms last quarter. Asking workers to absorb more pain by taking the hit from spiralling prices is not the answer. Protecting people against the biggest squeeze in living standards since the 1950s is.
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4/6
This means increasing the national #livingwage to reflect the true cost of living, a fair pay deal for public sector workers, and strengthening the power of all workers to negotiate higher wages.
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5/6
This must be matched by support from government to cushion the blow of rising prices – a proper #windfalltax to offset the cost of energy bills, a #GreatHomesUpgrade, cut price public transport, and a £17bn boost to benefits.
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6/6
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