for months, rail workers have been striking over pay and plans my guest is mick lynch, leader of the biggest rail union, the rmt. the stakes in this fight are high. can the workers win? mick lynch, welcome to hardtalk. you are the leader of a union that s been in a long running dispute now. it goes back to last summer. there have been rolling, sporadic strikes. as it goes on, does it feel harder to find your way to a compromise? well, there s no easy way out for either side. the government has boxed themselves into a corner, to a large extent. and i think that s predicated on the idea of setting precedents for public sector. we ve seen the nurses, ambulance drivers, many civil servants in dispute along similar lines. people aren t being paid enough in this society at the moment and many public sector workers have had long term pay cuts measured against any measure of inflation, so there s some catch up to be done, and that makes it harder because the government wants to be
have to pay a levy to that organisation and they are carrying out the agenda of the railway companies. they are not independent, they re not even impartial of they are there to do the work of the train operator. just are there to do the work of the train operator. are there to do the work of the train operator. just again in terms of this dispute, train operator. just again in terms of this dispute, get train operator. just again in terms of this dispute, get on train operator. just again in terms of this dispute, get on to - train operator. just again in terms of this dispute, get on to bigger. of this dispute, get on to bigger questions in a minute, you said in december, you will not accept any deal that involves further roll out of. deal that involves further roll-out of. ~ ., ., , ., of. we will not. that is union oli of. we will not. that is union policy and of. we will not. that is union policy and it of. we will not. that is union policy and it is of. we will not. t