British railway workers begin biggest strike action in more than 30 years

LONDON (AFP) - Britain's railway workers on Tuesday (June 21) began the network's biggest strike action in more than three decades, as a cost-of-living crisis caused by surging inflation risks wider industrial action.

Last-ditch talks to avert a strike broke down on Monday afternoon, meaning more than 50,000 members of rail union RMT will walk out for three days this week.  

RMT general-secretary Mick Lynch described as “unacceptable” offers of below-inflation pay rises by both overground train operators and London Underground that runs the Tube in the capital.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the government was doing everything it could to minimise the expected “mass disruption”.

But he told parliament on Monday: “It’s estimated that around 20 per cent of planned services will operate, focused on key workers, main population centres and critical freight routes.”

The strikes – also on Thursday and Saturday – risk causing significant disruption to major events including the Glastonbury music festival.

Schools are warning that thousands of teenagers taking national exams will also be affected.

The strikes involving 50,000 rail workers will be the biggest dispute on Britain's railway network since 1989, according to the RMT.

Rail operators, however, warn of disruption throughout the week, with lines not affected by strike action still having to reduce services.

RMT members on the London Underground are additionally staging a 24-hour Tube train stoppage on Tuesday.

The union argues that the strikes are necessary as wages have failed to keep pace with inflation, which has hit a 40-year high.

Jobs are also at risk, with passenger traffic yet to fully recover after the lifting of coronavirus pandemic lockdowns.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the unions were harming the people the claimed to be helping.

“By going ahead with these rail strikes, they are driving away commuters who ultimately support the jobs of rail workers, whilst also impacting businesses and communities across the country,” he said in a statement.

Countries around the world are being hit by decades-high inflation as the Ukraine war and the easing of Covid-19 restrictions fuel energy and food price hikes.

"Talks have not progressed as far as I had hoped and so we must prepare for a needless national rail strike and the damaging impact it will have," said Mr Andrew Haines, the chief executive of Network Rail, which looks after the country's rail tracks.

"We, and our train operating colleagues, are gearing up to run the best service we can for passengers and freight users next week despite the actions of the RMT."

The strikes will likely compound travel chaos in the aviation sector, after airlines were forced to cut flights due to staff shortages, causing long delays and frustration for passengers.

Thousands of workers were sacked in the aviation industry during the pandemic but the sector is now struggling to recruit workers as travel demand rebounds following the lifting of lockdowns.

Other areas of the public sector are also set to hold strikes.

On Monday, the Criminal Bar Association, which represents senior lawyers in England and Wales, voted to strike from next week in a row over legal aid funding.

Justice minister James Cartlidge called the walk-out “disappointing”, as the court system battles significant pandemic-induced backlogs in cases.

Four weeks of action begin on Monday and Tuesday, increasing by one day each week until a five-day strike from July 18.

Teaching staff and workers in the state-run National Health Service are reportedly also mulling strike action.

And several other transport unions are balloting members over possible strike action, which could go ahead in the coming weeks.

The government and the RMT were engaged in a war of words over the weekend, after the union's general-secretary Mick Lynch said strikes would go ahead as "no viable settlements" had been found to the disputes.

But Transport Secretary Shapps accused union bosses of refusing to meet for further talks on Saturday and instead attending a protest march against the rising cost of living.

Mr Shapps said the disruption would cause "misery" and force hospital patients to cancel appointments and pupils sitting exams, including his own children, would face extra pressures of having to change their travel plans.

"By carrying out this action, the RMT is punishing millions of innocent people, instead of calmly discussing the sensible and necessary reforms we need to make in order to protect our rail network," he added.

Modernising the rail network was necessary, as travel use changes, including after the pandemic, he said.

But Mr Lynch accused Mr Shapps of fabrication, insisting talks with train operating companies had broken up without agreement on Thursday night, and no further negotiations had been scheduled.

Contrary to government claims, no pay offer had been made and the union had received no response to its push for a pay increase of 7.1 per cent in December, in line with inflation at the time, he said.

"If there's not a settlement, we will continue our campaign," he told Sky News on Sunday, predicting more strikes as other transport unions balloted their members.

The government was being “just as ruthless as P&O but they haven’t got agency workers to step in”, he added, referring to the mass sacking of staff at the ferry operator earlier this year.

The government is under pressure to tackle inflation and rising household bills that have left many Britons struggling to make ends meet.

But Treasury minister Simon Clarke ruled out “inflation-busting pay increases” in the public sector to avoid fuelling inflation further.

The RMT was not looking for special treatment, but a deal was needed as members had not had a pay rise for several years, he added.

"If we don't play our hand, thousands of our members will lose their jobs" and safety on the network would be compromised, he said.

The government was being "just as ruthless as P&O, but they haven't got agency workers to step in", he added, referring to the mass sacking of staff at the ferry operator earlier this year.