About 40,000 British railway workers went on strike on WednesdayA month after the biggest strike in 30 years, at a time when the UK is grappling with its worst cost-of-living crisis in decades.
The national strike for better wages and against employee cuts reduced train service to 20%which has de facto paralyzed the railway network where only one in five trains operates and It caused great disruption to rush hour passengers as many of them stayed at home.
With inflation at a 40-year high and about to get worse, the cost of living crisis is a major one A challenge to Secretary of State Liz Truss and former Finance Minister Rishi Sunakwho are vying to replace Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a leadership contest.
Mickey LynchGeneral Secretary of the RMT Railroad Federation, argues that Strikes are necessary because wages have failed to keep pace with inflation UK, currently at 9.4 per cent and set to rise further.
“Network Rail has not made any improvement to the previous salary offer and the rail companies have not brought us anything new”In his own words, before he recalled that the corporate intent is “They shot two or three thousand of our members.
Wednesday’s 24-hour strike comes after RMT organized a three-day strike last month, which also brought the rail network to a near standstill.
The government must stop interfering in this dispute so that employers can reach a negotiated settlement with us.Lynch said.
The union leader accused the company responsible for the rail infrastructure, Network Rail, of Pretending to “close the box office across the country”which in his opinion It would harm the “disabled and all who need help”.
“The only thing they offer is layoffs, which is unacceptable. said He criticized the plan to raise the wages of railway workers by 4% over the next two years, without the expected increase for public sector employees.
The RMT is particularly disappointed by the statements made by the Secretary of State, Les TrussThe frontrunner in the race to succeed Prime Minister Boris Johnson, which he described The strike is “totally irresponsible”.
railway networkOn the other hand, it is considered that The union left the negotiating table without even giving its members a chance to express themselves about the company’s offer.
According to the company’s chief negotiator, Tim Schoevelr, plus an 8% increase in two years, Network Rail also ensures that there will be no mandatory layoffs, as all departures will be optional.
Acting Minister of Transport Grant Shapsannounced today for BBC it feels He was ‘extremely frustrated’ by the strike which he found ‘completely unnecessary’.
It’s time to tighten the union laws in this countryShapes have been added.
London Underground trains and buses were running normally, but Eurostar Reducing the number of trains through the canal tunnel As a side effect, despite the fact that his employees did not join the strike.
it is expected that Services resume early Thursday.
(with information from the AFP and EFE)
Read on:
“Creator. Devoted pop culture specialist. Certified web fanatic. Unapologetic coffee lover.”