Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 23
23
Accepted
Department's routine engagement with rail unions remains insufficient at official level.
Recommendation
Good policy is made through involving stakeholders. We asked about the Department’s engagement with the workforce and how it understands the practical realities and challenges facing those responsible for implementing policy on the ground. The Department told us that when its officials supported the Williams Review, they consulted very widely with trade unions and workers across the railway, to make sure there was a good understanding of perspectives. It said that, as it has taken forward reforms, it has tried to make sure it has done the same in specific areas. But we heard that the Department has not routinely engaged with rail unions at official level and that this has been done through ministers.50 The Department later wrote to us to clarify the last meetings that ministers, supported by senior officials, have held with members of trade unions.51 The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) told us that it had seen a reluctance from the Department to work constructively with the workers and their trade unions in the same manner that was achieved during the pandemic.52
Government Response Summary
The government is resetting the relationship with the trade unions, has made a proposal to ASLEF, and believes that working in partnership with the workforce is essential for long-lasting reform.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
6. PAC conclusion: The Department has failed to engage with the workforce to successfully deliver its reform ambitions. 6. PAC recommendation: The Department should meaningfully engage with the workforce in order to implement its reforms successfully. In its Treasury Minute response, it should set out how it plans to engage with the workforce as part of implementing its reforms. 6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Winter 2024 6.2 This government is resetting the relationship with the trade unions as part of its overall approach to reforming the railways. The government has recently made a proposal to the ASLEF trade union to settle the existing national pay dispute. The government believes that working in partnership with the workforce, and particularly their representatives, is essential to secure long-lasting reform for the benefit of passengers.