The militant union leader who orchestrated the worst rail and Tube strikes in 33 years was today accused of making a phony apology for plans to interrupt millions of Britons’ work, school, and activities such as Glastonbury for five days at the end of June.
‘There is never a good time for a railway dispute,’ Mick Lynch said, dismissing concerns that the statewide strike may disrupt important events such as concerts, test match cricket, and festivals. We can’t just sit here and do nothing.’
His hard-left Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) announced that 50,000 of its members at Network Rail and 13 train operators will strike on June 21, 23, and 25, and warned that if the dispute over pay and job cuts is not resolved, additional strikes will follow.
Mr Lynch also stated that he did not want to harm the British economy, despite estimates that each day on strike costs the country between £10 million and £50 million in lost productivity and sales, according to experts.
The RMT has promised a summer of unrest if the salary and job issue isn’t settled at a time when Britain is experiencing the biggest cost-of-living crisis in a generation.
The strikes are part of a’summer meltdown’ involving problems at Britain’s airports, many of which are in chaos due to a lack of workers. Furthermore, the 50,000-strong union walkout means rail freight could be affected, resulting in empty shelves and a gasoline shortage.
‘We don’t want to cause any inconvenience, and I apologize for that,’ Mr Lynch added. We don’t pay attention to Glastonbury or mainstream music concerts. A railway conflict never occurs at a convenient time. I want the economy to be in good shape. But we can’t sit idly by as our members’ fortunes deteriorate and their jobs are jeopardized.’
‘We haven’t had a wage contract in three years, and inflation is out of control,’ he continued. And our members have had their fill of it.’
Sources told the PA news agency that talks between Network Rail (NR) and the union are scheduled to take place in the coming days. During the initial talks, the RMT was reportedly offered a minimum 2% wage increase for workers.
The union’s negotiators were told that if they were willing to accept modernization of working standards, this could grow. Its aversion to change has been dubbed ‘absurd,’ with one senior industry source saying this month that the union was even preventing employees from using mobile phone apps to better connect with one another during the pandemic.
From the first strike on Tuesday, June 21, through the day following the third strike, NR is preparing contingency preparations, since the strikes are expected to disrupt services for six days.
Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, has urged the unions to end their strike. He said union officials should “act like grownups” and find a “reasonable solution” to rail industry problems.
‘When it comes to these strikes, it is quite regrettable what the unions have indicated, because it is not only going to bring agony for the travellers, but it is also, I believe, the wrong consequence for the workers,’ Mr Javid said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
‘Because everybody who works in this sector, or any industry for that matter, wants it to be long-term sustainable. It’s impossible to maintain the same level of support that it received during the pandemic.’
When asked if the government could legislate to prevent the strikes, he replied, ‘Of course, the government has choices.’ And I’m sure my colleague, the Secretary of State for Transport, will consider all possibilities.
‘But right now, the most essential thing for the union leaders to do is get down with the industry leaders and act like grownups,’ she says.
Although the RMT indicated it is ready to’meaningful dialogue’ to try to resolve the dispute, no direct talks between the union and train operators are planned.
Andrew Haines, Network Rail’s chief executive, said the company is “doing everything we can” to avoid a strike.
‘The first strike is scheduled for two weeks from now. We’ll use this time to talk to our unions and try to find a solution via compromise and good sense on all sides, avoiding the devastation that a strike would cause to everyone involved,’ he said.
The strikes are ‘needless and destructive,’ according to Rail Delivery Group chairman Steve Montgomery.
Huw Merriman, the Tory chair of the Commons Transport Committee, has asked for a minimum service during strikes, similar to what is required in the EU, where roughly a third of trains must run during strikes.
‘The unions have fought extremely hard,’ he said. And I’m not going down without a fight. However, if the government is serious about enacting a minimum service duty, it may need that law in place to do so. We consider rail to be a vital service.’
‘There has been a failure to comprehend that you can’t just flick a switch and expect the aviation industry to resume,’ he added, slamming the government for the turmoil at airports. Staff recruitment and verification can take up to three months.
You have a perfect storm of insufficient employees in an already-stressed job market, as well as record unemployment and 1.2 million openings.
‘I’m afraid it was a destroyed business; it has recovered to around 70%, but it lacks the necessary personnel.’ It’s a shaky picture for aviation, and unfortunately, it’s the traveling public who suffers.’
Rail freight could be disrupted, resulting in dwindling supplies and a gasoline crisis. Ministers have been warned that multi-day strikes could result in the loss of power in some areas when freight services are disrupted.
Industry insiders refer to North Yorkshire’s Drax power facility, which can only store supplies for two or three days but serves millions of people.
Supply lines have also been a source of concern for Tesco and Puma Energy, which supplies garage forecourts.
‘It’s looking like a summer collapse with problems on the roads, railways, and at airports,’ said travel expert Paul Charles. Someone needs to take charge of safeguarding what was once known as the Great British Getaway.
At this rate, the entire summer will be difficult to travel since the weather would be too unpredictable. So, rather than dithering, we need to make strong decisions.’
The RMT union’s efforts, according to a government source, are “absolute stupidity” and will “hugely annoy” the traveling public while alienating individuals whose ticket purchases “ultimately sustain RMT jobs.”
‘The RMT appears to believe that the best way to engage in meaningful discussion is to hold a gun to the head of an industry still reeling from the pandemic’s aftershocks,’ the insider continued.
It’s a further setback for travelers, who are already dealing with confusion at airports due to personnel shortages and certain airlines overbooking flights, as well as UK infrastructure, with petrol prices hitting £2 per litre this week.
The strikes, which begin on Tuesday and extend until Saturday, will disrupt travel to a number of important events, including concerts, test matches, and the Glastonbury festival, which begins on June 22 and ends on June 26, with many festival-goers expecting to arrive by train.
The strikes may also cause problems for voters in the two next by-elections, which are both scheduled for June 23, as well as GCSE students who are taking exams this summer.
Other events that week include England’s test match against New Zealand in Leeds, the British athletics championships in Manchester, and concerts by Elton John (June 24) and the Rolling Stones in London’s Hyde Park (June 25).
Last night, rail officials were hurrying to put in place backup plans that would prioritize freight trains above passenger trains to avoid blackouts in some places and keep store shelves and gas stations filled.
Railway workers have been “treated appallingly,” according to RMT general secretary Mick Lynch, who added that “despite our best efforts in negotiations, the rail industry, with the help of the government, has refused to take their complaints seriously.”
Train drivers’ median salaries have increased by 39 percent in the last decade, greatly exceeding the national average of 23 percent or 15 percent for nurses.
Train drivers make £59,000 on average, compared to £31,000 for nurses and £41,000 for cops. Rail personnel, like civil servants, nurses, and teachers, can retire at the age of 62.
‘This is our first proper summer of people getting back on and enjoying great sporting, musical, and cultural occasions only to find that the summer is going to be wrecked by dinosaur action from a different era holding the country to ransom,’ said Tory MP Greg Smith, who sits on the Commons transport committee.
‘It’s past time for the RMT to wake up, realize the harm they’re doing to people’s lives and livelihoods, and get back to providing the service that the country needs.’
The announcement was ‘extremely disappointing,’ according to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, who encouraged the union to resume discussions with the rail sector in order to avoid ‘pushing people off the train network for good.’
The transport watchdog stated that ‘passengers are the ones who suffer the most,’ and that all parties must continue to talk in order to avoid confusion.
In a separate dispute over jobs and pensions, the RMT has called for another 24-hour strike on London Underground.
On June 21, tube workers will go on strike for the second time this month, coinciding with the first rail strike, threatening severe travel disruption.
Meanwhile, hundreds of British Airways check-in and ground personnel at Heathrow began voting on strike action Wednesday.
Members of the Unite and GMB unions are being balloted in a pay dispute that may wreak havoc on the UK’s busiest airport during the summer vacation season.
Thousands of families have been left stranded abroad as a result of delays and cancelled flights at British airports.
According to the union, this will be the largest rail strike since 1989.
In a deepening dispute over compensation and job losses, union members overwhelmingly voted for strike action last month.
Ministers have asked the industry to save £2 billion after being bailed out during the pandemic, with passenger numbers stabilizing at about 75% post-pandemic. The union wants an assurance that no compulsory redundancies will be imposed.
It also wants members’ salaries to rise in accordance with the RPI rate of inflation, which is now 11.1%.
According to the RMT, rail workers who worked during the pandemic faced wage freezes and hundreds of job cutbacks.
‘Railway employees have been treated appallingly, and despite our best efforts in negotiations, the rail industry, with the help of the government, has failed to take their complaints seriously,’ said RMT general secretary Mick Lynch.
‘We are in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, and it is intolerable that railway workers lose their jobs or face another year of wage stagnation while inflation is at 11.1 percent and growing.
‘Our union will now launch a continuous campaign of industrial action to bring the railway system to a halt.’
‘Rail businesses are profiting by at least £500 million a year, and top rail executives have been paid millions during the Covid-19 pandemic.’
‘This inequity fuels our members’ rage and drive to obtain a just payment.’
‘RMT is willing to engage in genuine discussions with train executives and ministers, but they will need to come up with new plans to avoid months of rail disruption.’
After his RMT union voted to strike across much of the capital’s underground network on Monday, causing severe mayhem in London with most zone 1 stations blocked, union president Mick Lynch was spotted enjoying his journey on the new Elizabeth Line.
40,000 workers from Network Rail, which is in charge of infrastructure, and 13 railway companies covering the majority of the country will go on strike for 24 hours on June 21.
In addition, 10,000 London Underground workers will go on strike, effectively shutting down the capital’s transportation network.
On June 23 and 25, the 40,000 mainline workers will go on strike once more.
According to a senior rail industry insider, scheduling the strikes every other day that week was done to maximize the impact.
‘It utterly destroys the network on strike day and for the majority of the following days when strikes aren’t happening,’ they claimed.
‘Three days, midnight to midnight, wrecks the entire week,’ says the author. This is due to the fact that signallers and other important staff frequently begin 12-hour shifts around 8 or 10 p.m.
However, because they would not be present on strike days, many will not be available to reopen the railways the following morning on non-strike days.
‘What this implies now is that we’ll have to perform contingency planning for important freight lines that we were hoping to avoid,’ the person added.
‘Over the following two weeks, we’ll work with the freight industry to identify important routes where freight must be transported and rearrange them into the schedule, putting freight ahead of passenger services.’ This means that even more passenger trains may be withdrawn from operation.
Ministers have been warned that multi-day strikes could result in the loss of power in some areas when freight services are disrupted.
Industry insiders refer to North Yorkshire’s Drax power facility, which can only store supplies for two or three days but serves millions of people.
Supply lines have also been a source of concern for Tesco and Puma Energy, which supplies garage forecourts.
‘We continue to meet with our trade unions to discuss their pay concerns, and we’re doing everything we can to avert strike action on the railway,’ Network Rail CEO Andrew Haines said.
‘We recognize that the cost of living has risen, and we want to give our members a raise, but the RMT must recognize that we are a government agency, and any pay increase must be affordable to taxpayers and passengers.’
‘Travel habits have evolved over time, and the railway system must adapt as well.
‘We cannot expect to get more than our fair share of public subsidies, so we must modernize our industry to ensure its long-term viability.