EXPLAINED: All About The Britain Rail Strike, Its Biggest In 30 Years, Over Pay Freezes And Job Cuts
Britain rail strike: There will be three 24-hour walkouts by the 40,000 railway staffers, including signallers, maintenance and train staff — on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
With tens of thousands of workers walking out, causing major disruption across the network and leaving major stations deserted as trains stand cancelled, Great Britain is facing the biggest rail strikes in three decades. The strike started Monday night as the workers’ unions and the government refused to budge from the respective stands in a row over pay freezes and job cuts.
Talks between union leaders and senior rail industry figures took place throughout Monday so an industrial action could be avoided, even though there was little hope that any agreement could be reached, UK media reports said.
According to the plan devised by the unions, there will be three 24-hour walkouts by the 40,000 railway staffers, including signallers, maintenance and train staff — on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The strike will allow only one in five trains to run on these days and halt the services altogether in much of northern and south-west England, Wales and Scotland, The Guardian reported.
Accordingly, some of the more than 40,000 railway staff gathered at picket lines from dawn Tuesday, causing the disruption in the network. Meanwhile, due to a separate strike, the London Underground metro was also mostly closed, causing a great deal of inconvenience to passengers, according to a Reuters report.
The railway authorities have advised commuters to avoid train travel as the few services running are likely to be full.
The strikes by Network Rail employees and onboard and station staff working for 13 train operators in England will cause six days of disruption in all. Trains will be limited to one every hour between 7.30am and 6.30pm on major intercity and urban routes, the Guardian report said, adding that the services will start later and be reduced on subsequent days.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the strike would harm businesses still recovering from Covid, the Reuters report said.
What The Railway Employee Want
The strike has been called demanding pay hike and reform in the rail industry as post-Covid work patterns have hit commuter revenues. The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) workers’ union said thousands of jobs were at risk in maintenance roles, and that there are plans to close ticket offices besides the pay freezes even as the country is facing the toughest economic hit in decades.
While the inflation is pushing 10 per cent, average underlying wages are no higher than what they were in 2006 when adjusted for inflation.
Unions have claimed the rail strikes could mark the start of a "summer of discontent" as teachers, medics, waste disposal workers and even barristers are heading for industrial action.
"The British worker needs a pay rise. They need job security and decent conditions," Mick Lynch, secretary-general of the RMT union, was quoted as saying.
Cynon Valley Labour MP Beth Winter, who joined RMT union members on the picket line Tuesday, told BBC that the strike was "very much a last resort".
"The threat of compulsory redundancies, below inflation pay increases and threats to the working conditions and terms of the workers has left the RMT members without any option but to take this action so I fully support them," she said.
Britain sees warnings of a recession prompted by a combination of labour shortages, supply chain disruption, inflation and post-Brexit trade problems, according to reports.
What The Govt Is Doing
The UK government has said it is giving additional support to millions of the poorest households, but above-inflation pay rises would damage the fundamentals of the economy, Reuters reported.
"Sustained higher levels of inflation would have a far bigger impact on people's pay packets in the long run, destroying savings and extending the difficulties we’re facing for longer," PM Johnson was quoted as saying.
Conservatives have associated the union-backed Labour party with the strikes, but the latter has alleged that Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and other ministers have refused to take part in the talks, The Guardian reported.
Shapps has reportedly said it was up to the employers to negotiate, but train operating firms have been told they cannot offer pay rises, the report said, quoting industry insiders and unions.
Speaking to BBC, shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said the government must step in.
Simon Clarke, chief secretary to the Treasury, however, told the national broadcaster: “There’s no point giving false hope, if you like, that these strikes can be avoided. At this stage it is likely that they will proceed.”
According to the Guardian report, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng is set to table legislation to allow agency workers to step in during such strikes. This legislation could be enacted by late July.
Others On Strike
Adding to the commuters’ woes, there is a separate London Underground strike on Tuesday, with about 10,000 members of the RMT walking out for 24 hours, closing most tube lines.
Also planning a walkout are criminal barristers who have voted to strike from June 27, and a school teachers’ union that has said it plans action in November if their pay award falls short of their 12% increase demand, a Reuters report said.
The British Medical Association and British Airways check-in staff have also made similar announcements in a dispute over pay, and so have workers at telecoms firm BT Group.
Post office counter staff and supply chain workers already walked out in early June, closing more than 100 post offices. In Yorkshire, Arriva bus workers have been holding an indefinite strike since June 6. Bin workers around the country have also either already undertaken strike actions or threatened to disrupt waste collections.
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