Labor leaders have been warned to stay away from picket lines on the eve of the biggest railway strike since 1989.
As employees prepared to take part in the RMT strike on Tuesday, Keir Starmer’s office told shadow cabinet members that in order to “show leadership”, the front benches “should not be on picket lines”.
The order from the leader’s office said: “We have strong lines. We do not want these strikes to continue with the resulting public outrage. The government failed to engage in any negotiations.
“However, we also need to show leadership and to this end, please remind that the previous teams incl [parliamentary private secretaries] they must not be on picket lines.
“Please talk to all members of your team to remind them of this and confirm with me that you did.”
The announcement, published by Politics Home, comes on a day when the RMT secretary general said the country was facing a “wave” of industrial action and that Labor should be in harmony with it.
RMT’s industrial operations begin on Tuesday, with additional shutdowns on Thursday and Saturday, meaning that only part of the services will be operated on the UK network. London Underground services will also face huge disruptions on Tuesday, as staff will leave in a dispute.
On Monday, Mick Lynch told reporters that “[Labour] they need to find a way to connect with working class people in working-class communities so that they can regain their votes. They need to find their message. They need to find some policies that go back to where the working people are.
“So Keir Starmer and his team need to work on how to relate to this and how to ride this wave of resistance and be in harmony with it. Instead of standing aside and waiting for someone to tell them what to do.
This move represents Labor, which is trying to distance itself even more publicly from Starmer-led unions, unlike Jeremy Corbyn, where the party was closely linked to Len McCluskey’s leadership at Unite.
The Railway Union Aslef and the Firefighters’ Union (FBU) voted this year to secede from Labor, but both chose to continue the association.
Some lawmakers from the back seat, including Zara Sultana and Paula Barker, have said they will support striking workers on picket lines, but no shadow minister has indicated he will violate the order.
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Unite Secretary General Sharon Graham told PA Media: “The Labor Party was founded by the unions and we expect Labor MPs to defend workers with words and actions. Instructing Labor MPs not to queue with workers speaks volumes.
“You do not lead by hiding. Nobody respects that. It’s time to decide whose side you’re on: workers or bad bosses? ”
Manuel Cortes, secretary general of the Transport Workers’ Association, whose members already voted in favor of the strike later this year, said: “This is ridiculous nonsense from the party created by the unions. Solidarity is the goal of our movement. “
The Labor Party declined to comment.
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