"It's about the enduring strength of that relationship, through ups and downs. You have to keep talking, to keep finding places where you have common ground," Craddock explained, speaking at an event at the Employee Relations Institute.
He added: ”We must not forget that union members and Network Rail employees are the same people. An employee of National Rail may choose to be a member of a union, and to choose to let that union bargain for them collectively. It makes a huge amount of sense to allow our union reps to dedicate time to issues brought up by the employees.”
As an example, Craddock discussed the introduction of random drug and alcohol testing.
Previously, employees were given notice of upcoming tests but in the interests of safety Network Rail looked into introducing spot checks. This received some criticism from the unions.
“We set up a pilot in one region to test how it works,” Craddock said. “We’re still not there, there still are some concerns. But the bottom line is, how can a big company introduce a procedure like that without engagement? We’re looking for a sensible, balanced answer to keep moving forward.”
“If you give the impression that your employees don’t matter to you, then they’ll say ‘you don’t matter to me either,” he added.
Craddock’s comments coincide with the government announcing tougher rules on union industrial action, including measures which will allow the government to set a limit on the proportion of working time any public sector worker can spend on trade union duties, and permit employers to hire strike-breaking agency staff.
General secretary of the train drivers’ union ASLEF Mick Whelan called the government “shameful” for cracking down on unions.
“As a trade union representing ordinary, decent, hard-working men and women doing a safety-critical job to ensure passengers get the first class public transport they deserve, we have serious fears over what this government is proposing,” he said in a statement.
“It is ironic that this government, in the year we celebrate the civil rights brought in by the sealing of Magna Carta 900 years ago, is determined to bring in a law which strikes at the democratic heart of this country,” he added.
