The Department has failed to engage with the workforce to successfully deliver its reform ambitions. Good policymaking relies on effective stakeholder engagement. The Williams Rail Review involved extensive consultation with trade unions and workers across the railway to understand their perspectives. However, while the Department expects to implement significant reforms through the workforce, officials have had little engagement with the workforce on rail reform. The absence of such engageme...

The Department has failed to engage with the workforce to successfully deliver its reform ambitions. Good policymaking relies on effective stakeholder engagement. The Williams Rail Review involved extensive consultation with trade unions and workers across the railway to understand their perspectives. However, while the Department expects to implement significant reforms through the workforce, officials have had little engagement with the workforce on rail reform. The absence of such engagement means that the Department risks not having a full understanding of the challenges and practical realities faced by the staff on the ground responsible Type: recommendation | Number: 6 | Response status: accepted Government response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. approach to reforming the railways. The government has recently made a proposal to the ASLEF trade union to settle the existing national pay dispute. The government believes that working in partnership with