The UK’s biggest rail strike in 30 years began yesterday as tens of thousands of staff walked out in a dispute over pay and jobs that could pave the way for widespread industrial action across the economy in coming months.
Picket lines appeared at dawn and are to be lined by some of the more than 40,000 rail workers who are due to strike yesterday, tomorrow and Saturday, bringing the network to a standstill. The London Underground metro network was also mostly closed due to a separate strike.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, under pressure to do more to help British households facing the toughest economic hit in decades, said the industrial action would harm businesses as they continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo: Reuters
Unions have said the rail strikes could mark the start of a “summer of discontent,” with teachers, medics, waste disposal workers and even barristers moving toward industrial action as surging food and fuel prices push inflation toward 10 percent.
“Our campaign will run for as long as it needs to run,” Mick Lynch, secretary-general of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, told reporters on Monday.
The prime minister said the unions were harming the people they claimed to be helping.
“By going ahead with these rail strikes, they are driving away commuters who ultimately support the jobs of rail workers, whilst also impacting businesses and communities across the country,” Johnson was to tell his Cabinet yesterday, according to his office.
The government has faced criticism from opposition lawmakers for refusing to get involved in the talks to settle the dispute. Ministers say it is a matter for the unions to work out directly with rail employers.
The UK’s economy initially rebounded strongly from the COVID-19 pandemic, but a combination of labor shortages, supply chain disruption, inflation and post-Brexit trade problems has prompted warnings of a recession.
The government says it is giving extra support to millions of the poorest households, but says above-inflation pay rises would damage the fundamentals of the economy.
“Sustained higher levels of inflation would have a far bigger impact on people’s pay packets in the long run, destroying savings and extending the difficulties we’re facing for longer,” Johnson said.
The outbreak of industrial action has drawn comparison to the 1970s, when the UK faced widespread labor strikes including the 1978-1979 “winter of discontent.”
British Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps said the government would change the law to force train operators to deliver a minimum service on strike days, and allow other workers to temporarily replace those staff who have walked out.
The strikes come as travelers at British airports experience chaotic delays and last-minute cancelations due to staff shortages, while many Britons have to wait months for new passports to arrive due to processing delays.
The rail strike means only about half of the UK’s rail network will be open on strike days with a very limited service running on those lines and continued disruption on the days in between strike days.
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