Status: 06/21/2022 11:24 a.m
Half of the British rail network is to be paralyzed and only a fifth of the trains are to be running. With the biggest rail strike in 30 years, unions are demanding fewer job cuts and higher wages.
The biggest rail strike in the last 30 years has begun in Great Britain. More than 40,000 railway workers are likely to take part in the strike, paralyzing around half of the British rail network, with only a fifth of the trains to run. Strikes are also planned for the coming days. The British capital is particularly affected: in London, the subway is mostly out of service due to a separate strike.
The reason for the walkout are planned savings in labor and other costs, as fewer people use the train during the corona pandemic. No agreement was reached in negotiations between railway companies and unions. The Rail, Maritime and Transport Union said it would not accept the offer of a 3 percent wage increase. Inflation in Great Britain is currently nine percent, which is significantly higher.
Prelude to “Summer of Dissatisfaction”
According to the unions, the walkout is only the prelude to a possible “summer of dissatisfaction” in which teachers, doctors and lawyers will also take part in industrial action. Because many Britons are suffering from rising prices for food and fuel.
The economy on the island had initially recovered well from the corona pandemic. However, a recession is now looming due to a combination of labor shortages, disrupted supply chains, inflation and post-Brexit trade disputes. UK inflation hit a 40-year high of 9% in April. It is expected that the ten percent mark will be exceeded in the further course of the year.
Johnson condemns the strikes
Prime Minister Boris Johnson accused the unions of harming those they are trying to help with the strikes. “With these strikes, they drive out commuters, who ultimately secure the jobs of the railroad workers,” Johnson was supposed to say at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, according to a statement from his office. The consequences of the walkout would be felt by companies and communities across the country.
He doesn’t get it: Prime Minister Johnson.
Image: REUTERS
New law to ensure minimum supply
Transport Minister Grant Shapps has already announced a change in the law that would oblige rail operators to provide a minimum supply on strike days and allow striking staff to be replaced by substitute workers. “We will ensure that things like this do less damage in the future,” he told Sky News.
The current strikes come at a time when travelers at UK airports are experiencing delays and last-minute cancellations due to staff shortages. In addition, many Brits have to wait months for new passports due to delays in processing.
Unionists: “Absolutely unacceptable”
Trade unionist John Leach justified the strike on TalkTV: “We cannot engage in something that lags almost 8 percent behind inflation – that is absolutely unacceptable,” he said.
The current industrial dispute raises comparisons with the 1970s. At that time there was a series of strikes in Great Britain, which finally led to the “Winter of Discontent” of 1978/79.