Commuters were warned to stay at home today as militant unions threatened to strike till Christmas, causing Britain’s trains to shut down for the first time in 30 years.
Due to three days of strikes starting tomorrow, Thursday, and Saturday, millions of people will be forced to work from home or fight their way to work on foot, bike, or in crowded buses. The strike has been planned to cause major disruption on non-strike days as well, resulting in six days of pandemonium.
Teachers, doctors, binmen, barristers, and postmen could join rail employees in wreaking havoc on Britain this summer and into the autumn, according to reports.
Some railway companies in the UK will operate emergency timetables from today morning, while Transport for Wales has advised passengers to ‘only travel by rail if absolutely necessary’ on Monday, with trains from Scotland to London interrupted from 7pm and the Heathrow Express shutting down from 11pm.
After boss Mick Lynch reportedly refused a 2% pay boost for his 40,000 members who walkout later, the RMT Union claims it now has a’mandate’ for six months of industrial action – potentially with only a fortnight’s notice each time. Today, RMT assistant general secretary John Leach stated that no salary increase had been provided at all.
Rail executives have also stated that they believe they are engaged in a ‘war of attrition’ that will continue months, affecting millions of people and costing the economy up to £100 million at a time when the country is experiencing a cost-of-living crisis and a possible recession. They may give bonuses to employees who work across picket lines.
Boris Johnson is facing mounting pressure to implement the rail strike measures he promised in 2019. The government has failed to follow through on its election promise to enact legislation ensuring a minimum train service of roughly 30% during strikes, as is required in France and Spain.
More than 40,000 RMT rail workers, together with tens of thousands of other union members, will begin a six-day strike tomorrow, crippling much of the UK’s transportation infrastructure.
The National Education Union has declared that 450,000 teachers are ready to strike if they don’t like a pay offer from Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi, which is expected on Wednesday.
Last night, Christina McAnea, the president of Unison, the country’s largest union that represents much of the NHS, warned the Government needed to make a “reasonable wage award… or face a potential dispute.”
The RMT is expected to announce its next strike plans by the end of the week, with industrial action planned to coincide with the start of the summer vacation in late July. ‘We have a mandate for strike action for six months,’ a union insider told the Telegraph. The National Executive Committee will make the final decision. They won’t meet again until next Monday, at which point they’ll have to give the employers two weeks’ notice.’
Britain’s unions have threatened to bring the country to a halt in a’summer of discontent’ not seen since the 1926 General Strike, with 155,000 comrades at airports, Royal Mail, and BT expected to join them. More than a million teachers and local workers could go on strike in the coming months.
Other trade unions have threatened walkouts this summer, which might include teachers, NHS employees, barristers, postmen, and others.
With services reduced to 20% of their typical frequency, certain sites have been cut off completely, and passengers have been advised not to go unless absolutely necessary, since the national network is expected to be paralyzed by walkouts.
On a scale not seen since the late 1970s’ Winter of Discontent, up to 1.5 million workers are being balloted on strike action.
Sir Keir Starmer refused to condemn rail strikes this week, which could cause havoc and cost firms hundreds of millions of pounds.
‘The plan by unions to bring Britain to a standstill by holding strikes across swathes of the economy and our public services is deeply selfish,’ said Tory party chairman Oliver Dowden.
‘Hard-pressed families and businesses will suffer extra costs and disruption caused by these unnecessary strikes.’
Lord Blunkett, the Labour former home secretary, urged union bosses to ‘stop pretending they are in the 1970s or 1980s’.
Last night, senior rail sources said that agency workers are not going to be the ‘silver bullet’ many are hoping for to help stop the disruptive strikes.
According to an analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, the rail and Tube strikes are expected to cost the economy at least £91 million in staff absenteeism alone (CEBR). They estimate that 0.8 percent of employees, or more than 250,000 workers, will be unable to report to work.
They added that while plans for agency workers to fill shortages in the workforce would be welcomed, they would only be effective in the ‘less skilled portions’ of railway firms.
‘It takes a year to train someone as a signaller,’ the insider told The Times. ‘You can’t just put an agency worker in the cab of a train; it’s not a silver bullet by any stretch of the imagination.’
The rail and Tube strikes are estimated to cost the economy at least £91 million in staff absenteeism alone, according to an analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). They expect 0.8 percent of employees, or over 250,000 people, to be unable to report to work.
While plans for agency employees to fill workforce shortages are commendable, they will only be effective in the ‘less skilled sectors’ of railway companies, they added.
The Times quoted an insider as saying, ‘It takes a year to train someone as a signaller.’ ‘You can’t just put an agency worker in the cab of a train; it’s far from a silver bullet.’
‘There are going to be numerous unions balloting around the country, because people can’t take it anymore,’ RMT union president Mick Lynch warned Tuesday, implying that the rail strikes could last into the autumn.
Labour’s failure to condemn the strikes, according to Tory MP Brendan Clarke-Smith, demonstrated that the party was beholden to the unions.
‘Now they want to take us back to the 1970s and bring the country to a halt,’ he continued. The Winter of Discontent, with its 25% inflation, sky-high interest rates, IMF bailouts, three-day weeks, and trash on the streets, is still remembered by many.
‘We must tackle this head on and show that the British people will not be held to ransom.’
The NASUWT teaching union announced yesterday that its 300,000 members will be balloted if the government did not support requests for a 12% salary increase.
Because of the cost-of-living crises and’real-terms pay cuts,’ General Secretary Patrick Roach said Britain faced a ‘existential emergency for the viability of the teaching profession.’
‘The government made the mistake of assuming that teachers would simply stand by as they degrade salary and slash our education system to the bone,’ he added. If a pay raise is not granted, our people will fight for it in the workplace through industrial action.’
Unless an adequate salary hike in line with inflation is provided, the National Education Union will ballot its 460,000 members, which include teachers, professors, and support workers.
‘If there is no meaningful progress on 3% – which will leave an 8% difference with inflation this year alone – we cannot avoid a ballot,’ said joint general secretary Kevin Courtney. Teachers’ attitudes have shifted.
‘Last year, the biggest issue was workload. This year, the focus is on workload and compensation.’
Unison, the country’s biggest union, has indicated half a million members could strike over the upcoming NHS pay offer, which is expected in June, if it falls short of the 9.2 per cent rate of inflation.
The NHS walkout would likely see thousands of appointments and operations missed because patients will be unable to get to hospitals and surgeries.
National medical director of NHS England, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, said it was ‘vital’ that people sought appointments and treatment despite the disruption.
General secretary Christina McAnea said: ‘The Government has a simple choice. Either it makes a sensible pay award, investing in staff and services and reducing delays for patients or it risks a potential dispute, growing workforce shortages and increased suffering for the sick.’
The British Medication Association has also said it would ballot members over junior doctors’ pay. And the railways could be hit by further strikes in the summer holidays after the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association served notice to ballot hundreds of workers at Southeastern and Great Western Railway over demands for no compulsory redundancies and a pay rise.
Some 115,000 Royal Mail workers are set to be balloted by the Communication Workers Union in another dispute over pay.
Royal Mail announced last week that staff would receive a 2 per cent pay rise but CWU deputy general secretary Terry Pullinger said it was ‘nowhere near acceptable’.
The rail strikes will also directly affect pupils, who are taking their GCSEs and A-levels this week, which rely on trains to get them to school.
On Tuesday, teenagers sitting GCSE history or dance, or A-level German, religious studies, or maths could be hit. Those taking A-level chemistry or GCSE physics on Thursday could also be affected.
The Public and Commercial Services Union, which has around 180,000 members in the Civil Service, will also vote in September over possible action over its demand for a 10 per cent pay rise. Barristers are voting on whether to strike over legal aid rates, with a decision due today.
Lord Blunkett last night warned the unions that mass walkouts would be counter-productive. ‘The one way to lose all support and ensure the re-election of Boris Johnson is to fall into the elephant trap,’ he said.
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng will table legislation as early as this week to let businesses recruit temporary staff during walkouts, a practice that is currently banned.
And the walkouts are also expected to cause misery for music and spots fans, with Glastonbury Festival, which will see 200,000 revellers return to Somerset for the first time in three years, will
Many festival-goers typically take the train to the nearest station at Castle Cary before catching a bus to the festival site.
While Great Western Railway said it planned to keep some trains running between the station and London Paddington during the festival, it has warned the times of some services might change.
Coach firm National Express said it had seen ‘a significant increase in both inquiries and bookings’ as people opt to travel with it, and warned of heavy traffic around the festival site.