At 7 a.m. Saturday, union boss Mick Lynch was back on the picket line at Euston Station in London, urging colleagues, talking about tactics for pay negotiations, and conducting broadcast interviews.
Until the biggest industrial action on the rail network in more than 30 years, few people would have heard of Lynch, secretary general of the National Union of Railway, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT). This weekend he is a national figure.
As millions of rail passengers were affected by the dispute, Lynch won applause for clearly articulating its members’ complaints and reasons for action. He also disarmed some of the most experienced interrogators on television, including Sky News cameraman Kay Burley and Talk TV presenter Pierce Morgan.
A Network Rail spokesman said yesterday that Lynch had spent “more time on TV than in [negotiating] table this week. ” Railway chiefs have accused the union of adopting the “strike first, negotiate later” tactic.
Despite the bricks, Lynch was the one who was praised for winning the public relations battle last week.
John Leach, RMT’s assistant secretary general, said: “We’ve had some older generals in the past who go back to the days of Jimmy Knapp and Bob Crowe, and suddenly there’s this person no one has heard of expressing what millions think. “
There are concerns among ministers that RMT is the first outside the blocs in several long and difficult months for wage negotiations. Lynch expressed the frustration and worries of the workforce, whose wage packages have been effectively eroded by inflation.
NHS employees and teachers are among the employees who have seen their salaries decline in real terms over the last decade.
Passing trucks and cars honked in support of yesterday’s picket in London, although more than 40,000 RMT workers virtually stopped the country for three days of strikes.
Lynch said, “I certainly don’t want to be an icon. Our job is to take the most effective actions and formulate our case. Millions of people in this country are facing lower living standards and deprivation of occupational pensions. We will not accept this.
“We have the most special economic situation in this country with full employment and falling wages. Covid was a smokescreen for the rich and powerful in this country to cut wages as much as they could. “
Virtually empty hall at Waterloo Station, London, on Saturday as train services continue to be disrupted in the RMT dispute. Photo: Dominic Lipinski / PA
Lynch says it has been easier to negotiate payment deals with non-government-controlled railway companies. He accused the ministers of undermining the prospects for successful negotiations, but did not come to the table. RMT wants a payment deal that is up to date with inflation and without mandatory cuts. So far, it has rejected an offer to pay 3% of the industry.
Network Rail chief Andrew Haynes last week criticized Lynch union members for blocking modernization practices, including claims that workers would not include a camera facing forward in a vehicle, delayed the introduction of a staff communication application and blocked the use of safety planning tools. Newspaper headlines state that “nine workers are needed to change contacts.”
RMT says it continues to implement technological change. One employee said, “We wanted to [Mick Lynch] to do broadcast interviews to meet the industry’s demands, but it just became stratospheric. “
A survey by Ipsos last Monday to Wednesday found that 62% of respondents sympathized with railway workers because of the strikes. Opinions were divided on support for the strikes, with one in three supporting and the same part opposing them.
Another Opinum poll conducted by RMT before the strikes found that three out of five respondents said the government should intervene to ensure that railway companies were responding to workers’ concerns. The study also found that less than one in five supports staff reductions on trains and stations.
“They have the right to strike, and for good reason,” said Zoe Charwood, a 35-year-old Glasgow teacher who caught one of the few trains running to Milton Keynes on Wednesday. “I don’t think it’s a return to the 1970s.”
Lynch was elected secretary general last May. Born to Irish parents, he grew up on a municipal estate in Paddington, West London, and left school at 16 to become an electrician.
He was blacklisted by construction companies for his involvement in the union, but the scandal was uncovered only two decades later after an attack by the Office of the Information Commissioner of the organization that compiled the secret database. He moved to the railways to find work, helping to maintain the Eurostar fleet.
He founded and built the RMT Eurostar branch to become one of the largest in the union. He earns £ 84,000 with pensions and benefits, with his annual package reaching £ 124,000.
Last week, Lynch said that while unions had calls from around the world to support members, there had been no progress he had hoped for in the talks. He now faces the prospect of lengthy negotiations and a decision on whether to take his members on a new national strike.
Last week, Lynch said more rail strikes were “extremely likely” unless there was more progress in the negotiations. The railway chiefs, the union and the passengers are prepared for a long summer.
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