After being advised to “jog on” by Richard Madeley of Good Morning Britain this morning, RMT chief Mick Lynch lost his cool and afterwards accused the BBC’s Mishal Husain of “parroting” right-wing “propaganda.”
Mr. Madeley explained to Mr. Lynch that the train strikes were aimed at Christmastime travelers and may drive away hotels, restaurateurs, and stores at a time of year that is typically bustling.
The union leader said, “We’re not targeting Christmas, it isn’t Christmas yet, Richard. I don’t know when your Christmas begins, but mine starts on Christmas Eve.” The union leader was speaking from a picket line in London.
That claim was called “disingenuous” by Mr. Madeley, who also said, “You know that commercial Christmas begins in December.”
Richard, why don’t you just interview yourself?, Mr. Lynch interrupted them as they were talking over one another.
Later, he said, “I have no desire to ruin anyone’s Christmas.” By forcing these strikes by preventing the corporations from coming up with viable solutions, the government is helping to ruin the people’s Christmas.
That is the situation we find ourselves in, and we will have to continue this conflict until we find an acceptable resolution and a decent set of propositions that our people are willing to accept.
During the conversation, Mr. Madeley once advised Mr. Lynch to “jog on.”
The RMT general secretary got into another heated argument with presenter Mishal Husain on BBC Radio 4’s Today program when he objected to her line of inquiry and accused her of repeating “government misinformation.”
Ms. Husain cited statistics showing that 63% of RMT members who cast ballots yesterday rejected a salary offer, down from 91% in a previous vote in November.
Do you agree that the membership seems to be losing support for strikes? asked the presenter.
Well, that’s what Network Rail and the government are saying you, and you’re willing to push that line because they’re telling you too, Mr. Lynch said.
“You’re simply repeating the most right-wing propaganda you can find on behalf of the establishment,” someone said.
The RMT chief also objected when Ms. Husain inquired about the typical wage loss suffered by RMT members during the strike.
What irritates me, Mishal, is that you use these phrases that are lifted from the propaganda of the other side.
“You never seem to have an objective look on the way this society is balanced at the present and the utter absence of wealth distribution in this society, you simply seem to punt out what you receive from the employers and the government,” one person observed.
Additionally, Mr. Lynch said that the host was “parroting the right-wing press.”
They’re called questions, Ms. Husain said at the conclusion of the interview while maintaining her composure throughout the discussion.
Today marks the beginning of a month of walkouts, with RMT members performing their first round of 48-hour strikes as the UK continues to experience a cold snap.
Two 48-hour strikes by up to 40,000 unionized railroad employees will begin on Tuesday and end on Friday at Network Rail and 14 train companies.
Because of expectations that unions may shut down essential services during the Christmas holiday, the next four weeks will resemble an advent calendar of industrial action.
Bus drivers, Royal Mail employees, nurses, and highway workers are among the many other workers who will stop working this week in protest of their employment, salary, and working conditions.
Yesterday-ditch attempts to prevent commuters from suffering through a month-long rail strike failed last night, leaving many to endure another unpleasant “virtual Christmas.”
Millions of people are now expected to work from home until the new year as a result of the RMT’s decision to reject a new wage contract, which, together with heavy snow, threatens to bring the nation to a standstill during the holiday season.
Network Rail has issued a warning that until January 8 there will be drastically reduced service, more packed trains, and trains that start and end more often.
According to Transport Secretary Mark Harper, the train strikes will cause another “virtual Christmas” in the manner of Covid.
When the unions had a fairly acceptable salary offer, he told GB News, “I believe it is dreadful because these train strikes are going to force some families to have another virtual Christmas.”
Higher criteria for strike votes may be included in legislation that the government hopes to adopt in the New Year to restrict strikes in the public sector.
When questioned about the possibility of new regulations to limit strike action, Mr. Harper said, “We’ve already proposed the legislation on minimum service standards in the transport industry.”
This legislation will be submitted as soon as feasible. “And one of the things that the Prime Minister is extremely anxious to do is to broaden that legislation to deal with other areas of policy,” the statement said.
According to official data released this morning, the number of working days lost to strikes last month was at its highest level in more than ten years.
The number of working days lost to labor conflicts rose to 417,000 in October 2022, the highest number since November 2011, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The month of December is being referred to as the “new winter of discontent” amid worries that the unions are putting the UK on lockdown by sabotaging essential services over the Christmas season.
Tourists in disbelief complained about the absence of trains at Richmond station in southwest London as the rail strikes began to spread.
Alan and Janelle Hale, visitors from Australia, said they were “disgusted” by the strikes and worried it would ruin their day of touring in downtown London.
What has happened to his nation, asked Mr. Hale, 54. How can you have no trains operating is absolutely awful. When I was here seven years ago, everything was functional. Now, it is very terrible.
“I went to ask someone when we might expect a train and they simply shrugged their shoulders,” the New South Wales company owner said.
“This is the last time I will bother to visit this nation. I is unable to express how upset we are.
There were enormous lines for commuters trying to enter London by car during the strikes on practically every route.
Along the A316, there were up to three-mile long lines for vehicles exiting the M3 and traveling into London. It took close to an hour to go four miles.
One passenger waiting in Richmond attempted to dodge the rail strike by taking a cab from her Shepperton home.
But since the ticket was becoming too costly, she was obliged to end the journey at Richmond.
Jane, 24, said that he had intended to take the district line into Hammersmith and terminate his car ride sooner, but instead found himself waiting by the entrance gates with a large group of people.
Crowborough commuters, meanwhile, had to deal with icy roads and a train strike this morning as they tried to get to work.
One of the highest locations in East Sussex, the hilltop town, still had a lot of snow covering the roads, which were now very ice, and the train station was shut down due to labor unrest.
Chloe Morris, a 40-year-old civil servant, was meant to go into her job at Victoria station in the heart of London but was forced to remain at home.
She stated as she was making her way back home: “Normally, I would take the train into London, but the strike has made it impossible.”
Because I don’t believe all the roads are now open, I wouldn’t drive in.
I got trapped in East Grinstead on Sunday evening after driving back from London after a snowfall. I was required to spend the night in a Premier Inn.
Unfortunately, I can utilize video conference to communicate with my colleagues from home.
There was something vital for me to be in today, but I’d much prefer be in the office. Unfortunately, there isn’t much I can do about it.
The coronavirus epidemic forced Britons to miss out on spending the holidays with loved ones in 2020 and 2021; now, train delays may force them to do the same.
As a consequence, some people could be coming to terms with the fact that they will only be able to communicate with their loved ones once more via Zoom or other video conferencing technologies, ruining a third consecutive Christmas.
Network Rail CEO Andrew Haines said that it is difficult to see optimism in the discussions given the impending train strikes and the RMT’s rejection of a salary offer.
When asked whether there was any optimism in the talks, Mr. Haines said to BBC Breakfast, “It’s hard to see that today.” I’ve discovered over the course of a lengthy career that occasionally there is light at the end of the tunnel.
But from where I’m standing right now, I’d have to conclude that the RMT’s degree of disruption makes it difficult to see a clear path ahead.
However, yesterday night’s negotiations to prevent the nurse strike fell through when the union president who was leading the action accused Health Secretary Steve Barclay of being “belligerent” and refusing to engage about salary.
After bitterly-concluded negotiations, nurses in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland now seem prepared to launch their first day of strike action on Thursday.
Pat Cullen, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said that despite their discussions on Monday, nurses were “not receiving an additional pound.”
Now that a second date has been scheduled for Tuesday, it seems that nurses in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland will start their first day of strike action on Thursday.
Mr. Harper, the transport secretary, said on Tuesday on Sky News that “the 19% pay hike that the nurses are seeking for isn’t affordable.”
He said, “I don’t believe it’s sensible because it would divert funds from front-line treatment.”
After presiding over an urgent Cobra meeting on Monday, Cabinet Minister Oliver Dowden issued a warning that the government “cannot remove” the dangers of a wave of strike activity throughout the month.
Paramedics, postal employees, and border agents are among those expected to strike, he said, adding that ministers would be “straining every sinew” to minimize the commotion.
Will Quince, the minister of health, said that between the December 21 and 28 ambulance strikes, patients could be transported using taxis.
He assured the lawmakers that responses to calls in categories one and two “where there is an imminent danger to life” are “probable.”
“We are looking at methods in which we can give extra assistance for category three and category four,” he said, “including things like block-booking taxis and support via community healthcare, local authority fall services, and community support.”
On an 83 percent turnout during the rail strikes, the RMT said that 63.6 percent of voters chose to reject Network Rail’s offer, which general secretary Mick Lynch called a “massive rejection” of the government agency’s “substandard offer.”
The union leader said, “The Government is unwilling to raise a finger to stop these strikes, and it is apparent they intend to make effective strike action illegal in Britain.”
We will oppose it, and our members will continue to fight for a fair deal for workers, commendable wage rises, and favorable working conditions alongside the broader trade union movement.
Unite employees at Network Rail will not strike after voting to accept the offer.
In addition to a 4% pay increase at the beginning of 2023 and a promise that no mandatory job losses would occur until January 2025, Network Rail has proposed a 5% pay increase for this year, retroactive to January.
The management of the RMT advised against accepting the offer since it was contingent on “substantial” changes to working procedures.
On the days of this week’s strike, trains only operate from 7.30 am to 6. 30 pm, but many areas of the nation won’t have service, including the majority of Scotland and Wales.
Employees of RMT at Network Rail will also be on strike from Christmas Eve 6 p.m. until December 27 6 a.m.
Mr. Barclay and Ms. Cullen’s negotiations came to a standstill because the Health Secretary would not discuss compensation.
The RCN leader claimed in a statement that “The Government stayed true to its promise” and “they would not speak to me about remuneration.”
“I needed to leave this meeting with a credible argument as to why nurses shouldn’t strike this week,” I said. Unfortunately, they won’t get any further money.
“Ministers had too little to say, so I had to talk for a long time on the profession’s extraordinary depth of feeling.”
I voiced my profound dissatisfaction in their belligerence, and they have now closed their files and left.
The union is requesting a salary increase of 5% over the RPI rate of inflation, which was 14.2% in October, but Ms. Cullen has made it clear that she may be willing to make concessions if the government agrees to wage negotiations.
Mr. Barclay has remained committed to the independent pay review body’s suggested £1,400 salary increase.
He was under growing pressure to reach an agreement after the Scottish Government’s recent wage settlement was approved by members of two unions, leading to the cancellation of strikes by ambulance crews and some other NHS employees.
Following discussions with Health Secretary Humza Yousaf and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s intervention, members of Unite and Unison halted their protests.
According to the new agreement, Scottish NHS employees would continue to earn the highest salaries in the UK and would get pay increases between £2,205 and £2,751.
The lowest paid would get an increase of 11.3%, with an average increase of 7.5%.
Mr. Barclay “again listened to the RCN’s stance on pay and underlined the Government has agreed to the recommendations of the independent pay review panel,” according to a Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman.
The official said, “He stressed that any additional wage rise would involve diverting money away from frontline services and eradicating the backlog of 7.2 million elective procedures.”
In the meanwhile, Mr. Dowden, the Duchy of Lancaster’s Chancellor, presided over a meeting of the government’s emergency response committee that was attended by military leaders.
He reaffirmed requests for employees to stop their activity in order to “give families a vacation,” but he also acknowledged that the employment of military as a backup plan would not be sufficient to “eliminate all hazards.”
He told broadcasters that although “this Government would be stretching every sinew to make sure that we mitigate those dangers, we cannot remove them.”
“Call off those strikes, give families a rest, especially during the winter,” the unions should do, especially now that winter is biting and we are suffering from the effects of the crisis in Ukraine and, in fact, Covid.
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