Status: 08/19/2022 4:52 p.m
London Underground workers are on strike for better working conditions, wages and pensions. Switching to the railway only works to a limited extent. Because there, too, there was just a strike – and it should continue.
A strike by London Underground workers has partially halted public transport in the British capital. Most of the underground lines did not run on Friday, according to the operator Transport of London. “It’s going to be a difficult day,” said London Underground’s customer service boss, Nick Dent. Customers should ideally do without the subway altogether. Overground trains were running again, but at irregular intervals – a result of the strike by railway workers on Thursday. Since only every fifth train rolled.
“Cut to pieces by employers and government”
The strike on the railways is expected to continue on Saturday. The general secretary of the union RMT (The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers), Mick Lynch, apologized to the commuters. “We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused to people.”
According to Lynch, the employees are “ordinary men and women” who do their jobs and want to provide a service. “But when you’re cut to pieces by an employer and by the government, you have to fight back.”
Minister of Transport denies guilt
Transport unions criticize the Conservative British government. It prevents the – mostly private – railway companies from making better offers for wages, pensions and working conditions. The government denied any interference, but also said the rail companies needed to cut costs and staff after being kept afloat for two years by state subsidies. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told Britain’s private digital broadcaster Times Radio it would be a ‘slap in the face’ for the public if unions went on strike – now after the £16 billion in support for rail companies.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has described the strikes as a “slap in the face”.
Image: REUTERS
Other sectors also want to go on strike
More British unions have announced strikes as the cost of living soars. Postal workers, lawyers, British Telecom workers and dockers announced work stoppages as late as August. In Edinburgh, Scotland, street cleaning and recycling workers began an 11-day strike on Thursday. They warned rubbish would pile up on the city’s streets while tourists were expected to attend the Edinburgh Fringe and other arts festivals.
Trains in Great Britain were already standing still in June – because of rising living costs, the railways had called for the biggest strike in 30 years. There were also regional strikes in August.