This offer is a final offer. The last offer was also a final offer. The offer before that was also a final offer. The one before that was, you guessed it, a final offer.
I quite agree the government aren’t negotiating in good faith- they haven’t done since day one. RDG had almost negotiated a resolution last year and the zombie government torpedoed it. We know all this.
So why do you think “put it to the members” is a position taken in good faith? Of course it isn’t.
As I said, every time you put an offer to the members you get four weeks of no strikes. After all it is “unreasonable” to keep striking whilst it is being considered. You know your final offer won’t be accepted- it is identical to your last three final offers which weren't accepted.
So what’s the solution? Roll over? We know the government don’t care- that’s why they’ve spent £1.4bn a year of taxpayer money prolonging a dispute that would cost them £0.5bn a year to resolve. The zombie Prime Minister wants to be a zombie Thatcher.
It isn’t just the RMT, btw. For all the bluster, it is ASLEF who have the real power. ASLEF strikes are much more effective because, whilst you can get the office junior to come and play at being a guard, you can’t get the office junior to drive the train so nothing at all runs.
Fire and rehire keeps getting mentioned. Yes, it works where the employer has access to a large pool of potential employees requiring minimal training. The Assa brothers have done it to Asda staff because someone has to repay the billions of loans they took out to buy Asda, so why wouldn’t it be the poorest people in their workforce. P&O and Irish Ferries did it because Filipino crew already know how to sail a ship.
Fire and rehire all the drivers? Good luck with that.