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Network Rail boss compares strikes aftermath to Iraq war peace process

The boss of Network Rail has likened the aftermath of the organisation’s long-running dispute with striking unions to the peace process after the Iraq war.

Speaking at the Accelerate Rail conference on Tuesday, Andrew Haines, the Network Rail , chief executive, said it could learn from the war to avoid similar disputes in the future.

He said: “We have to build a better partnership with colleagues as a result of this warfare.”

Pointing to a recent episode of The Rest is Politics, a podcast, he said there were similarities that could be drawn between what happened after Sadam Hussein was overthrown and the end of the rail pay dispute.

“Whatever you think about the invasion, almost everybody said that the failure to build peace is the thing that really hit that policy,” he said.

"That might sound pompous and grandiose. It is not meant to – it is simply saying that, unless we build peace after these big events, we are not going to move forward. So that’s my priority.”

On Monday, Network Rail ended its year-long dispute with the RMT union after members voted to back a pay deal. The agreement will see its highest-paid workers get a 9.2 per cent increase, and its lowest achieve a 14.2 per cent uplift.

Reflecting on why Network Rail was eventually able to secure the deal, Mr Haines said a large part of it was down to the Government’s willingness to tolerate the largest industrial action on the railways for four decades.

He also said Network Rail was able to limit the impact of action by training thousands of staff members to fill roles during strike action.

Looking forward, Mr Haines said it was imperative that he “built peace” with “our workers, our colleagues, and stakeholders who feel the railway is dysfunctional, and ultimately, we have to bring them back”.