Britain’s trains disrupted in second widespread strike in a week
The 24-hour walkout is the second industrial action this week since another 40,000 workers staged a nationwide strike on Wednesday.
About 5,000 British railway workers have staged a new walkout, a month after the largest strike in 30 years [File: Carlos Jasso/AFP]
Published On 30 Jul 202230 Jul 2022
About 5,000 railway workers across almost a quarter of Britain’s network have gone on strike as part of a campaign for higher pay after the country’s inflation rate hit its highest in 40 years.
The 24-hour walkout on Saturday is the second industrial action this week after another 40,000 workers staged a nationwide strike on Wednesday.
KEEP READING list of 3 items
Published On 30 Jul 202230 Jul 2022
About 5,000 railway workers across almost a quarter of Britain’s network have gone on strike as part of a campaign for higher pay after the country’s inflation rate hit its highest in 40 years.
The 24-hour walkout on Saturday is the second industrial action this week after another 40,000 workers staged a nationwide strike on Wednesday.
KEEP READING list of 3 items
end of list
The strike, organised by train drivers’ union ASLEF, was expected to cause “significant disruption” on Sunday morning as well, according to Network Rail, which runs Britain’s rail infrastructure.
Almost all services on seven of the country’s 34 train operators were cancelled, including regional networks for southeast and eastern England as well as long-distance lines linking London with southwest England, northeast England and Edinburgh.
Soaring inflation and patchy wage rises have exacerbated labour tensions across sectors including postal services, health, schools, airports and the judiciary.
Britain’s train services are mostly run on a for-profit basis by foreign state-owned rail companies which receive short-term contracts and operating subsidies from the government. Those subsidies ballooned as passengers stayed home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
ASLEF General Secretary Mick Whelan said the franchise agreements typically only provided for two percent pay rises for drivers.
“At this time of the cost of living crisis we believe this Catch-22 situation can’t go on,” Whelan told BBC radio.
Steve Montgomery, managing director of rail operator First Rail and chair of the industry-wide Rail Delivery Group, said operators would give bigger pay rises only if train drivers agreed to changes in working practices that would save money.
“We’re not saying to people ‘work longer hours’, but to be more productive within the hours they currently have,” he said.
ASLEF plans to hold another one-day strike on August 13.
Wednesday’s strike was organised by the RMT and TSSA unions, which represent other rail staff.
Britain’s consumer price inflation is currently 9.4 percent, the highest among the Group of Seven (G7) economies.
Millions of workers – including police, doctors and teachers – received below-inflation pay rises as part of an annual pay review for public-sector staff.
Ministers have warned of the danger of a wage-price spiral, while unions have demanded bigger raises for their members.
In June, about 40,000 cleaners, signallers, maintenance workers and station staff held a first 24-hour strike, which marked the biggest collective action in decades.
The strike, organised by train drivers’ union ASLEF, was expected to cause “significant disruption” on Sunday morning as well, according to Network Rail, which runs Britain’s rail infrastructure.
Almost all services on seven of the country’s 34 train operators were cancelled, including regional networks for southeast and eastern England as well as long-distance lines linking London with southwest England, northeast England and Edinburgh.
Soaring inflation and patchy wage rises have exacerbated labour tensions across sectors including postal services, health, schools, airports and the judiciary.
Britain’s train services are mostly run on a for-profit basis by foreign state-owned rail companies which receive short-term contracts and operating subsidies from the government. Those subsidies ballooned as passengers stayed home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
ASLEF General Secretary Mick Whelan said the franchise agreements typically only provided for two percent pay rises for drivers.
“At this time of the cost of living crisis we believe this Catch-22 situation can’t go on,” Whelan told BBC radio.
Steve Montgomery, managing director of rail operator First Rail and chair of the industry-wide Rail Delivery Group, said operators would give bigger pay rises only if train drivers agreed to changes in working practices that would save money.
“We’re not saying to people ‘work longer hours’, but to be more productive within the hours they currently have,” he said.
ASLEF plans to hold another one-day strike on August 13.
Wednesday’s strike was organised by the RMT and TSSA unions, which represent other rail staff.
Britain’s consumer price inflation is currently 9.4 percent, the highest among the Group of Seven (G7) economies.
Millions of workers – including police, doctors and teachers – received below-inflation pay rises as part of an annual pay review for public-sector staff.
Ministers have warned of the danger of a wage-price spiral, while unions have demanded bigger raises for their members.
In June, about 40,000 cleaners, signallers, maintenance workers and station staff held a first 24-hour strike, which marked the biggest collective action in decades.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
Great Britain was one of the first countries in the world to grant workers the legal right to form Worker's Unions, and the legal right to strike.
ReplyDeleteUnlike most authoritarian states where workers going on strike still amounts to a criminal offence , and considered a threat to Social Stability, and strike leaders rounded up as a National Security threat.
Strikes, especially involving public transport , are very disruptive , but they are normal and legitimate.
Only those with Authoritarian State mentality regard it as a sign of a failing society.
Mfer's load of lies!
DeleteIf u have truly been to * work/stay in China, u would have known that there were sporadic of strikes happened in many of the factories. Key example is those Foxconn iPhone assembly plants scatter around China.
Workers' rights r fundamental to the core of socialism.
Yet, after taking a page from socialism, all those capitalistic workers unions, often turns militant in their actions & demands.
Pommieland is the crown jewel of that militant unionism.
BTW, in yr Yankeeland, many industries have no worker's right to unionism - not even in-house!
So next time do yr fart within that chamber of yrs. Don't make people laughing their heads off.