Most voters believe Sir Keir Starmer was wrong to give train drivers bumper pay rises and that his ‘appeasement’ of union barons has made matters worse.
The damning verdict comes in a poll for the Mail, which finds that a majority think the Prime Minister should have squared up to militant rail barons – even if it meant more strikes.
It suggests his administration is beginning to falter in the eyes of the public, with other polls finding there is widespread outrage at ten million pensioners simultaneously being stripped of their winter fuel payments.
It also suggests voters agree he would rather satisfy his ‘paymaster’ union bosses than fight for a good deal for taxpayers – with even Labour voters more likely to agree with Tory supporters over the issue.
It comes after the PM signed off a 14.25 per cent increase for train drivers last week, only for them to announce three months of fresh strikes 48 hours later.
The Government has failed to condemn the action and even sought to justify it, despite calls to withdraw the offer if drivers’ union Aslef presses ahead with industrial action.
This week, Government officials met with the RMT and TSSA rail unions in a bid to thrash out pay deals.
RMT boss Mick Lynch has indicated he won’t accept anything less than Aslef’s offer.
And this week it emerged TSSA wants 38 days of holiday a year and a 35-hour week for members at one train operator.
Other unions are now suggesting that only bumper pay rises will placate them – despite warnings of a 1970s-style wage-price spiral.
The exclusive poll, by campaign group More In Common, found 47 per cent of the public think handing train drivers the bumper settlement will ‘fail to prevent strike action from rail workers’.
Only a third said they believe it will prevent further walkouts.
Forty-five per cent also said the Government ‘should resist big pay increases [for train drivers], even if it means the strike goes on for longer.’
Barely a third (35 per cent) agreed with the statement that ministers ‘should do whatever it takes to end the strikes, even if it means big pay increases.’
Respondents were given a list of public sector workers and asked if they were right or wrong to strike and demand better pay and conditions.
While a majority said nurses, junior doctors and teachers were right to do so, most (52 per cent) said train drivers were not.
Luke Tryl, of More in Common said: ‘This is risky territory for Labour, leaving them vulnerable to the charge they are making the choice to appease union bosses at the same time as limiting the winter fuel allowance for pensioners.’
The Department for Transport said the cost of the drivers’ deal will be ‘significantly less than the £850million bill’ to the taxpayer ‘as a result of the strikes dragging on’.