With the transport unions having voted on the “biggest rail strike in modern history”, free-market campaign group the TaxPayers’ Alliance has revealed that just four transport trade union bosses had a combined total remuneration of almost £500,000 during the first year of the pandemic. This included over £4,000 in courtesy car benefits for two RMT bosses.

Mick Cash, the RMT’s former general secretary, took home a total remuneration of £163,468 in 2020, including £1,432 in car benefit. Steve Hedley, former RMT senior assistant general secretary, had a total remuneration of £94,016, including £2,945 in car benefit, in the same year. Former RMT assistant general secretary and now the union’s general secretary, Mick Lynch, had total remuneration of £118,450 in 2020.

Following the news of a 24-hour strike across the London Underground on 6th June, the TaxPayers Alliance also found that Transport for London trade union facility time cost taxpayers £6.4 million in 2020-21. Facility time is paid time-off taken by trade union representatives to carry out union duties. TfL employs 880 trade union representatives, with 35 spending all of their working hours on union duties.

Total remuneration includes gross salary, employers’ national insurance contribution, pension contributions and other benefits, such as a car or housing allowance and health insurance.

The report also found that Transport for London had 880 FTE trade union representatives in 2020-21, of which 35 spent 100 per cent of their working hours on facility time.

19 TfL trade union representatives spent between 51-99 per cent of their working hours on facility time.

The total cost of TfL trade union facility time was £6.4 million.

Former RMT general secretary, Mick Cash, had total remuneration of £163,468 in 2020, including £1,432 in car benefit and £38,370 in pension contributions.

Former RMT senior assistant general secretary, Steve Hedley, had total remuneration of £94,016 in 2020, including £2,945 in car benefit and £21,610 in pension contributions.

Former RMT assistant general secretary, Mick Lynch, had total remuneration of £118,450 in 2020, including £22,175 in pension contributions.

General secretary of the Transport Salaried Staff Association (TSSA), Manuel Cortes, had a total remuneration of £121,773 in 2020, including £18,151 in pension contributions.

Danielle Boxall, media campaign manager of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Taxpayers are fed up with lectures and disruption from loaded union leaders.

“These red barons are dooming commuters to misery, but are sitting comfortably as some of Britain’s biggest earners in taxpayer-backed unions.

“Transport for London should take a stand against these hypocritical union heads.”