LONDON: Crowded commuters in Britain faced chaos on Tuesday as railway workers launched the network’s biggest strike in more than three decades, with a cost-of-living crisis threatening widespread industrial action. .
Last-ditch talks to avert a strike broke down on Monday, which means more than 50,000 members of the rail union RMT Will walk out for three days this week.
train and London Underground stations were closed on Tuesday morning, forcing people to either work from home or find alternative routes to office.
Crowds of people waited after 6:00 a.m. at bus stops on the outskirts of London, but many left without stopping for services to the capital, which were already overcrowded.
transport secretary Grant Shapps He said he “disappointed” the attacks, which he said evoked the “bad old days of the 1970s”.
“The people who are getting hurt are people who have to physically come to work, maybe for low pay, maybe sweepers in hospitals,” he told Sky News.
“I completely condemn what they are doing today and there is no excuse for taking people out on strike.”
But the RMT General Secretary mick lynch It has been described by both overground train operators and London Underground, which runs the tube in the capital, as “unacceptable” proposals to raise wages below inflation.
The walkouts – also on Thursdays and Saturdays – risk causing significant disruption to major events, including the Glastonbury Music Festival.
Schools are warning that thousands of teens taking the national exam will also be affected.
According to the RMT, the strike is the biggest dispute on Britain’s railway network since 1989.
However, rail operators have warned of disruption throughout the week, with only about 20 per cent of services running during the walkout, while lines not affected by the strike action are still curtailing services.
RMT members are also staging a 24-hour Tube train stop on the London Underground on Tuesday.
The union argues that the strike is necessary because wages have failed to keep pace with UK inflation, which has reached a 40-year high and continues to rise.
– Teachers, lawyers, NHS – Countries around the world have been hit by decades of high inflation as the Ukraine war and the easing of COVID restrictions fuel energy and food prices.
Unions have also warned that railway jobs are at risk, with passenger traffic yet to fully recover after the coronavirus pandemic lifts the lockdown.
The strike is adding to widespread travel chaos after airlines were forced to cut flights due to staff shortages, leading to long delays and frustration for passengers.
Thousands of workers were laid off in the aviation industry during the pandemic, but the sector is now struggling to recruit workers as demand for travel improves after the lockdown.
There are preparations to strike in other areas of the public sector.
The Criminal Bar Association, which represents senior lawyers in England and Wales, has voted to strike next week in a row over the funding of legal aid.
Minister of Justice James Cartridge The walkout has been called “disappointing”, given that the court system is already grappling with a significant backlog in cases caused by the pandemic.
Four weeks of action begins on Mondays and Tuesdays, increasing to one day each week from July 18 until the five-day strike.
Teaching staff and employees at the state-run National Health Service are also reportedly considering strike action.
And several other transportation unions are voting members on a possible halt in the coming weeks.
Last-ditch talks to avert a strike broke down on Monday, which means more than 50,000 members of the rail union RMT Will walk out for three days this week.
train and London Underground stations were closed on Tuesday morning, forcing people to either work from home or find alternative routes to office.
Crowds of people waited after 6:00 a.m. at bus stops on the outskirts of London, but many left without stopping for services to the capital, which were already overcrowded.
transport secretary Grant Shapps He said he “disappointed” the attacks, which he said evoked the “bad old days of the 1970s”.
“The people who are getting hurt are people who have to physically come to work, maybe for low pay, maybe sweepers in hospitals,” he told Sky News.
“I completely condemn what they are doing today and there is no excuse for taking people out on strike.”
But the RMT General Secretary mick lynch It has been described by both overground train operators and London Underground, which runs the tube in the capital, as “unacceptable” proposals to raise wages below inflation.
The walkouts – also on Thursdays and Saturdays – risk causing significant disruption to major events, including the Glastonbury Music Festival.
Schools are warning that thousands of teens taking the national exam will also be affected.
According to the RMT, the strike is the biggest dispute on Britain’s railway network since 1989.
However, rail operators have warned of disruption throughout the week, with only about 20 per cent of services running during the walkout, while lines not affected by the strike action are still curtailing services.
RMT members are also staging a 24-hour Tube train stop on the London Underground on Tuesday.
The union argues that the strike is necessary because wages have failed to keep pace with UK inflation, which has reached a 40-year high and continues to rise.
– Teachers, lawyers, NHS – Countries around the world have been hit by decades of high inflation as the Ukraine war and the easing of COVID restrictions fuel energy and food prices.
Unions have also warned that railway jobs are at risk, with passenger traffic yet to fully recover after the coronavirus pandemic lifts the lockdown.
The strike is adding to widespread travel chaos after airlines were forced to cut flights due to staff shortages, leading to long delays and frustration for passengers.
Thousands of workers were laid off in the aviation industry during the pandemic, but the sector is now struggling to recruit workers as demand for travel improves after the lockdown.
There are preparations to strike in other areas of the public sector.
The Criminal Bar Association, which represents senior lawyers in England and Wales, has voted to strike next week in a row over the funding of legal aid.
Minister of Justice James Cartridge The walkout has been called “disappointing”, given that the court system is already grappling with a significant backlog in cases caused by the pandemic.
Four weeks of action begins on Mondays and Tuesdays, increasing to one day each week from July 18 until the five-day strike.
Teaching staff and employees at the state-run National Health Service are also reportedly considering strike action.
And several other transportation unions are voting members on a possible halt in the coming weeks.