Despite the fact that more than 5,000 rail workers are willing to retire by taking voluntary redundancy, a union boss today raised the idea of Britain facing its first nationwide strike in 100 years.
Mick Lynch, the RMT’s general secretary, left open the possibility of coordinated walkouts to put maximum pressure on the government. The RMT is threatening a three-day railway strike later this month.
Although it is illegal for workers to strike in solidarity with others, employment attorneys suggest militants may get around this by having many unions go on strike at the same time for sector-specific problems.
Today, LBC’s Nick Ferrari questioned Mr Lynch on statements made by Gary Smith, the GMB union’s general secretary, who stated he would have “no difficulty” coordinating strike action with other unions, including the RMT, “in order to leverage our influence.”
‘It would make sense for workers to utilize their power in any campaign because the UK worker needs a salary raise,’ Mr Lynch responded.
‘Profits are up, dividends are up, there are more billionaires than ever before, and the wealthy have never been wealthier.’
‘At the same time, employees’ salaries have been declining, so it’s something that needs to be addressed, and it’s the trade union’s responsibility to do so.’
‘We’re not going that far, coordination is different from a nationwide strike,’ Mr Lynch said when Mr Ferrari asked whether this constituted a “de facto national strike.” We’ll see how things progress during the summer.
‘I’m not saying it won’t happen, but some cooperation is required.’ We’re ahead of the ban because we have immediate problems, but if you look at what’s happened in the aviation business, where thousands of jobs have been lost and planes can’t fly, the airlines have taken a very short-sighted approach.’
Mr Lynch declined to agree that other workers would lose money if they couldn’t get to work during strikes in another interview with GB News.
It comes as a rail workers’ voluntary redundancy scheme receives over 5,000 applications, raising questions about union bosses’ motivation for conducting the largest strike action in decades.
According to the Telegraph, train operators received 2,949 applications to leave as part of a scheme established up last October to cut expenses after Covid. Another 2,159 people applied for the scheme at Network Rail, the government-backed railway infrastructure manager.
The initiative, according to unions, was only presented to Network Rail officials and not to all employees. Nonetheless, their demand for voluntary redundancy casts doubt on their allegations that rail executives are imposing unwelcome job losses.
‘A thousand fires’ were breaking out throughout the country yesterday, according to GMB president Gary Smith, as unions pressed for higher pay to match the rising cost of living.
He denied that unions were organizing a nationwide strike, but cautioned that it may happen if ministries and companies do not back down.
‘You’re seeing cost of living-related arguments all throughout the country,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s The World This Weekend. ‘At the moment, I don’t believe there is a singular strategy — it’s simply working people saying enough is enough – but that may change in the future, particularly in the public sector.’
Bruce Carr, an employment barrister who previously advised the government on union policy, said that legislation prohibiting sympathy strikes enacted in the 1980s would not prevent barons from banding together to stage a national walkout.
‘If you have a series of separate trade disputes with different employers that are properly balloted, there is nothing stopping Unite and the RMT from calling each other to coordinate… so you could have a de facto national strike with different unions calling out different industries at the same time.’
The militant RMT union said it would fight the plans unveiled by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps with the ‘fiercest resistance conceivable.’
When asked if legal action or additional strikes were possibilities, an RMT spokeswoman said neither could be ruled out.
It threw the discussions into more disarray only days before over 40,000 RMT employees go on strike on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday next week.
It has the potential to wreak havoc on millions of people, disrupt major events like Glastonbury and Armed Forces Day, and even prevent children from attending school or taking examinations.
When it comes to dealing with the interruption, government insiders told the Express that ‘nothing is off the table.’
Ministers are rushing to draft legal measures that will take effect ‘during this specific debate,’ according to Mr Shapps.
The measures include lifting a Tony Blair-era legislative barrier that bars firms from using agency workers to cover work done by striking employees.
Because it does not require major legislation, it may be brought forth in a week or two.
Although agency employees are unlikely to be able to fill specialist occupations like signal operators or train drivers, the measures will allow rail companies to fill other tasks with flexibility. ‘The country must not be kept hostage any longer,’ Mr Shapps told The Sunday Telegraph.
‘These strikes are far too early, and we will use every tool at our disposal to guarantee that the public is safeguarded in the future.’
‘Rail workers have been able to fill up wage packets that have been lowered by striking by working extra overtime on future days,’ he noted. That will not be the case this time. ‘Rail managers and governments are dead set on preventing strikers from milking the system for profit while inflicting agony on the people.’
Mr Lynch lambasted BP for raking in billions of pounds, despite the fact that the RMT owns £254,000 shares in the corporation. The RMT was also accused of ‘breathtaking hypocrisy’.
Despite previously putting on record that the energy sector should be nationalised, the union owns £540,000 shares in Shell and £700,000 in petroleum and mining major BHP, according to The Sun.
‘This is astounding hypocrisy,’ Conservative MP Nigel Mills remarked. They preach that the energy sector should be nationalized, but they have millions invested in these companies.’