Next month's train strikes are expected to hit people travelling for Christmas,
But Mr Harper has now agreed to help both sides come back to the table and will write to RMT boss Mick Lynch setting out the terms under which talks can take place.
He added: "Being realistic, [that pay rise] is not going to match the level of inflation, I think people need to understand that and there needs to be some realism in this process. Mr Lynch told reporters his meeting with the new transport secretary was "positive in the sense we have got rid of the bellicose nonsense we had from [former transport secretary] Grant Shapps and his cohort in his era and we're now starting to get a dialogue".
But ministers have maintained their place isn't at the table: it's for unions and rail employers to hammer out a deal.But when he announced fresh strikes earlier this week, Mick Lynch said the secretary of state had blocked train companies from making an offer. Part of the point of setting out a clear process, he said, would be that "whatever happened, doesn't end up happening again".
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