Londoners wake to transit headaches as Tube strike hobbles city
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Empty train tracks at Waterloo Station as workers go on strike, in London, on Aug 18 2022.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
LONDON (BLOOMBERG) - London’s subway network largely ground to a halt on Friday (Aug 19) as workers went on strike, bringing more disruption to Britain’s embattled transport system.
The one-day action falls between national rail walkouts on Thursday and Saturday, and coincides with the start of a two-day protest by bus drivers in west and southwest London. Transport for London, which oversees the subway, known as the Tube, asked commuters to avoid travel if possible.
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) said Tube employees are striking over “attacks to pensions and jobs”.
The one-day action falls between national rail walkouts on Thursday and Saturday, and coincides with the start of a two-day protest by bus drivers in west and southwest London. Transport for London, which oversees the subway, known as the Tube, asked commuters to avoid travel if possible.
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) said Tube employees are striking over “attacks to pensions and jobs”.
Britain’s rail industry has been hit particularly hard by labour tensions as spiralling inflation spurs demands for higher pay, even as the government presses companies to modernise and trim costs to reflect a drop in commuting after the Covid-19 crisis.
The ability of many people to work from home may blunt the impact of the Tube strike, as it has previous transport walkouts this year.
There has been little sign of progress towards a resolution of the increasingly rancorous confrontations, raising concern that the sporadic stoppages could keep recurring, undermining the economy.
The RMT has accused Transport Secretary Grant Shapps of blocking a deal to resolve workers’ issues. The Department for Transport disputed Mr Shapps’s involvement, and said it is up to unions and employers to engage in “meaningful talks” to avoid damaging strike action.
Mr Shapps blamed union chiefs for failing to present settlement offers to their members.
There has been little sign of progress towards a resolution of the increasingly rancorous confrontations, raising concern that the sporadic stoppages could keep recurring, undermining the economy.
The RMT has accused Transport Secretary Grant Shapps of blocking a deal to resolve workers’ issues. The Department for Transport disputed Mr Shapps’s involvement, and said it is up to unions and employers to engage in “meaningful talks” to avoid damaging strike action.
Mr Shapps blamed union chiefs for failing to present settlement offers to their members.
“It’s time for the union bosses to get out of the way and put the deals on the table,” he told Sky News on Friday.
The labour action comes against a worsening economic backdrop. Inflation hit a four-decade high of 10.1 per cent last month, driving up the cost of everything from food to energy and clothing.
The labour action comes against a worsening economic backdrop. Inflation hit a four-decade high of 10.1 per cent last month, driving up the cost of everything from food to energy and clothing.
The Bank of England expects price growth to top 13 per cent in the coming months, sharpening the pain for consumers whose real wages are falling at a record pace. Consumer confidence fell to a record low this month.
The unrest has not been confined to trains and buses. Dockworkers at Felixstowe, the largest UK container port, will stage an eight-day action from Sunday, while 115,000 Royal Mail Plc postal workers begin a series of strikes on Aug 26. Barristers have staged walkouts in England and Wales and even nurses are planning to hold a strike vote.
Still, there were some bright spots. On Friday, the GMB union said that security staff at Leeds Bradford airport had suspended a three-day strike planned for next week to consider a new pay offer.
The unrest has not been confined to trains and buses. Dockworkers at Felixstowe, the largest UK container port, will stage an eight-day action from Sunday, while 115,000 Royal Mail Plc postal workers begin a series of strikes on Aug 26. Barristers have staged walkouts in England and Wales and even nurses are planning to hold a strike vote.
Still, there were some bright spots. On Friday, the GMB union said that security staff at Leeds Bradford airport had suspended a three-day strike planned for next week to consider a new pay offer.
