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A union has announced that Britain’s railway network will go on strike for the first time in more than three decades later this month in a dispute over pay as inflation erodes earnings. RMT, the rail union, announced a three-day national strike that will coincide with major events such as the Glastonbury music event, an Elton John concert, and an England cricket match.
“We are in a cost-of-living crisis, and it is inappropriate for railway workers to either lose their jobs or face a year of a pay freeze,” RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said in a declaration late Tuesday announcing the planned strikes.
“Our union will now launch a concerted campaign of industrial action that will result in the railway system being shut down.”
Countries around the world are experiencing decades-high inflation as a result of the Ukraine war and the lifting of Covid lockdowns, which are driving up energy and food prices.
The annual inflation rate in the United Kingdom has reached a 40-year high of 9%.
According to the RMT, the strikes will be the largest on Britain’s railway network since 1989 on June 21, 23, and 25.
Lynch stated that the union is “open to meaningful agreements with rail bosses and ministers,” urging them to “come up with new proposals to avoid months of disruption on our railways.”
Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, called the decision “incredibly disappointing.”
The RMT also announced a 24-hour walkout of its representatives on the Tube, London’s subsurface railway network, on June 21.
On Monday, the British capital was hit by a Tube strike, and the country is facing additional travel disruptions as UK airlines cancel flights on a daily basis due to a lack of staff.
The aviation industry, which laid off thousands of workers as planes were grounded during the pandemic, is now having trouble finding workers as travel demand picks up after the lockdowns are lifted. On Monday, there will be a strike, and the country will face additional travel disruptions as UK airlines cancel flights on a daily basis due to a lack of staff.
