The country is experiencing its biggest strike episode for 30 years. The tone is rising between the railway unions and the Conservative government.
Rail traffic in the UK is disrupted on Saturday on the third day of the railway workers’ strike. Britain’s rail strike, which began on Tuesday and Thursday, is the biggest the country has seen in three decades. The claims relate to wages, which do not follow the record inflation for 40 years observed in the United Kingdom. Only one in five trains should run and half of the lines will be closed, according to traffic forecasts. This is limited to a time slot from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Disruptions are still expected on Sunday.
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Chairman of the Rail Delivery Group, which represents UK rail operators, Steve Mongomery, advised commuters not to travel “only if necessaryand find out about traffic conditions. The RMT union, which has called for the strike, is demanding wage increases in line with inflation, but also denounces the prospect of “thousands of layoffsand the deterioration of working conditions. “In a modern economy, workers need to be properly rewarded for their work, provided with good conditions, and given peace of mind that they will not lose their jobs.said the organisation’s general secretary, Mike Lynch, warning that the movement could spread without agreement.
The Conservatives step up
From Kigali, where he was taking part in the Commonwealth summit, Prime Minister Boris Johnson estimated on Sky News that the British “have the right to expect basic reforms“, especially in the face of “practices that no one defends except union leaders“. His government announced this week its intention to change the law to allow the use of temporary workers to replace strikers and reduce the impact of social movements, which it considers “disproportionate“.
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For his part, Transport Minister Grant Shapps accused the RMT on Twitter of “harm the lives of people who work hard every day“. This week’s strikes are an estimated £150m (€174m) loss to the sector.