The UK’s rail service will be harshly disrupted across the country today despite an 11th-hour decision to suspend strikes while negotiations between the RMT union and train companies continue.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) and Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) were due to stage strikes in the coming few days in a long-running dispute over employment, pay and conditions.
Employees were preparing to walk out today, Sunday 6, Monday 7, and Wednesday 9 November, with Tube staff due to join them later in the week. The walkout on Sunday was expected to be for train managers exclusively, but passengers will still encounter problems travelling as train operators say the change was announced at the last minute to reinstate regular services.
RMT strikes on November 10 affecting the London Underground and Overground services are still set to go ahead in the continuing dispute over wages and working conditions.
Last night the RMT said it had secured unconditional talks with Network Rail and the promise of a pay offer from the train operating companies, meaning 40,000 employees are no longer set to strike, but RMT boss Mike Lynch acknowledged train strikes could continue beyond Christmas if a deal isn’t found.
It comes as new Transport Secretary Mark Harper confirmed he was happy to meet with trade unions, a marked departure from his predecessor Grant Shapps’ approach.
Mark Harper said that the negotiations were clearly going to take place between the unions and the employers: Network Rail and the train operating companies, and he said that he believed it was helpful for ministers to meet trade union leaders and to listen to their concerns, and that he was extremely happy to do that, and that his department would be reaching out to those trade union leaders in due course.
The RMT said last night it had made rail bosses see sense but added that if they have to take strike action during the next six months to secure an agreement, they will.
The union said the dispute remains very much alive and it is continuing its re-ballot of members to secure a fresh mandate for action with the result due on November 15.
But transport chaos is still anticipated after the last-minute cancellation left train operators unable to reinstate a full timetable at such short notice.
So, it seems the strike is off, but still no trains, rail workers get a day off, fully paid, and the general public still suffers.
It sounds like a new tactic to me. Call off the strike just when it’s impossible to reschedule, which doubles the impact and the unions will just say they called it off, but it caused disruption.
The only thing this action has accomplished is chaos and suffering for working people.
It seems it’s like everyone for themselves to survive in Tory UK.
There’s an unending crater of funds available to support war-torn countries and the pampering of boat arrivals, with hotel stays, free legal aid, dental and NHS services are thrown in as a Golden Hello, but people who live in the United Kingdom are struggling to get through the month because of inflation.
Our Government need to prioritise and stop saving the world, and they need to look a tad closer to home.
Once the economy has recovered, if it ever recovers, and everyone can properly access a GP, then we can endeavour to continue with pet projects, but these walkouts are doing immeasurable damage to people’s trust in the rail service.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 