A new strike on British railways heralds a major upheaval on Tuesday, in a United Kingdom that is facing, as the holidays approach, historical social movements in the face of the cost of living crisis.
According to the RMT union, 40,000 of its members who work on the Network Rail network and 14 train companies will join the movement, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, as well as four days in January. From Eurostar security guards to border police checking passports at airports – which forced the government to plan the deployment of the military to carry out controls – transport is particularly concerned about social movements at the end of the year.
The health sector, where nurses will observe an unprecedented strike on Thursday and December 20, to which paramedics will join, is also very affected. Several sectors of the administration are also affected. The private sector is not spared, with the Unite union raising the threat of a strike at the Greene King brewery and beer shortages for the holidays.
At the center of all these claims, inflation, which has exceeded 11%, fueled by energy prices, particularly under the effect of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On the eve of the movement on British railways, when snow has already disrupted transport on Sunday and Monday, the RMT union rejected the latest proposals from the management of the Network Rail railway network.
“Tough New Laws”
“The government refuses to lift a finger to prevent these strikes and it is clear they want to ban actual strikes,” said RMT general secretary Mick Lynch. “We will stand up to this and our members, along with the entire labor movement, will continue to push for fair treatment for workers, decent wage increases and good working conditions,” he added in a statement.
Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowed on Wednesday to introduce “tough new laws” to address the consequences of the strikes. Following a government crisis meeting on Monday, which focused on both climate disruption and social unrest, Secretary of State Oliver Dowden called on unions to “suspend” strikes and negotiate with workers and employers. .
During the move, some trains will run between 7:30am and 6:30pm, but traffic will be nil in some parts of the country, including most of Scotland and Wales. Rail Delivery Group, which brings together rail companies, recently announced that only around 20% of trains would be running, urging users to plan their journeys in advance and travel only when absolutely necessary.
Its president, Steve Montgomerry, lamented the refusal of the RMT leadership to put its proposal for an 8% wage increase to a vote by union members, saying it was “open for discussion”.
Source: BFM TV
