Rail workers are facing a “crisis”, a union boss has said ahead of widespread strikes this coming week.
Mick Lynch, the general secretary of the RMT union, said the group did not want to be the cause of disruption for travellers but the industry was facing thousands of job cuts, as well as a long working week.
He said the union had no choice but to act after the train operators had still not made a pay offer when talks adjourned on Thursday.
But the transport secretary hit out at the industrial action on Sunday, saying it was “no way to behave on the railway”.
Grant Shapps said this was a “huge mistake” and accused the unions of “gunning for this strike”.
Unions announced strikes resulting from a bitter row over pay, job and conditions.
Industrial action will hit Network Rail and 13 train operators on Tuesday, Thursday and next Saturday, as well as the London Underground on Tuesday.
Government accused of ‘inflaming tensions’ over rail dispute
Union leaders have accused the government of “inflaming” tensions over the rail dispute ahead of several days of travel chaos because of train and Tube strikes.
Services on the railways and London Underground will be crippled from Tuesday in the biggest walkout in the industry for more than 30 years in a row over pay, jobs and conditions.
The TUC is calling on the Westminster government to adopt a positive role in the dispute, saying it was “inflaming tensions” with comments such as threatening to “revoke” workers’ legal rights.
Stuti Mishra20 June 2022 04:21
Could there be strikes in other professions?
On that note, it appears there could be teaching and NHS staff strikes on the horizon.
Zoe Tidman19 June 2022 21:31
Unions urge government to ‘get round the table’ ahead of biggest rail strike in decades
Britain’s major trade unions are collectively urging the government to “get round” the negotiating table to try to find a resolution, 24 hours ahead of the biggest strike action on the rail network for decades (Ashley Cowburn writes).
In a letter to Grant Shapps, the general secretaries of 14 unions – which between them represent millions of workers, including civil servants, shopworkers, teachers and NHS staff – have warned that ministers must stop their “attempts to divide workers”.
The general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, Frances O’Grady, who is one of the signatories of the letter, also accused the…
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