- More than 40,000 railway workers are ready to strike
- The government is under pressure due to the cost of living crisis
- Unions say strike could start “summer of discontent”
LONDON, June 21 (Reuters) – Britain’s biggest rail strike in 30 years kicked off on Tuesday after tens of thousands of workers left wage and job disputes that could pave the way for widespread industrial action in the economy in the coming years. months.
Some of the more than 40,000 railway workers who are due to strike on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday have gathered on picket lines since dawn, leaving the network at a standstill and the large stations deserted. The London Underground was also almost closed due to a separate strike.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, under pressure to do more to help British households facing the worst economic blow in decades, said industrial action would hurt businesses as they continued to recover from the pandemic.
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Trade unions say rail strikes could mark the beginning of a “summer of discontent” with teachers, medics, landfill workers and even lawyers moving to industrial action as rising food and fuel prices push inflation 10% . Read more
“The British worker needs a pay rise,” Mick Lynch, secretary general of the rail, sea and transport workers (RMT), told Sky News.
“They need job security, decent conditions and a deal in general, if we can achieve that we will not have to have the disturbances in the British economy that we have now and that may develop over the summer.
Johnson said unions harmed people they claimed to be helping.
“Continuing with these rail strikes, they are driving out travelers who are ultimately supporting the jobs of railroad workers while affecting businesses and communities across the country,” he told his office on Tuesday, according to his office.
The government has faced criticism from opposition lawmakers for refusing to join the dispute. Ministers say it is a matter for unions to work directly with railway employers.
A poll by sociologists YouGov earlier this month found that public opinion on the strikes was divided, with about half of those polled opposed the action and just over a third saying they supported it.
Leo Rudolph, a 36-year-old lawyer who went to work, said he would become more dissatisfied the longer the dispute lasted.
Railway workers strike in front of Preston station on the first day of the national railway strike in Preston, UK, June 21, 2022. REUTERS / Jason Cairnduff
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“It won’t be an isolated phenomenon, will it?” he told Reuters. “I will certainly become more and more disappointed every time this happens.”
DESTRUCTIVE INFLATION
The British economy initially recovered strongly from the COVID-19 pandemic, but a combination of labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, inflation and trade problems after Brexit sparked warnings of recession.
The government says it provides additional support to millions of the poorest households, but says raising wages above inflation would hurt the fundamentals of the economy.
“Prolonged higher inflation rates would have a much greater impact on people’s pay in the long run, destroying savings and prolonging the difficulties we face for longer,” Johnson said.
The outbreak of industrial action compared it to the 1970s, when Britain faced widespread labor strikes, including the “winter of discontent” of 1978-79. Read more
The number of British union members has fallen by about half since the 1970s, with outreach much less frequent, in part due to changes made by former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to curb trade union powers and making it difficult to go on strike.
Transport Minister Grant Shaps said the government would change the law as soon as possible to force train operators to provide minimum services on strike days and allow other workers to temporarily replace those who left.
“We will take steps to ensure that this type of thing is less harmful in the future,” he told Sky News.
The strikes are coming as passengers at British airports experience chaotic delays and last-minute cancellations due to staff shortages, while many Britons have to wait months for new passports to arrive due to delays in processing.
The rail strike means that only about half of the UK rail network will be open on strike days with very limited services on these lines and ongoing interruptions between strike days.
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Edited by Edmund Blair, Kate Holton and Raisa Kasolowski
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