Union leaders have warned that the biggest railway strike of a generation will continue until their members’ demands for their salaries are met by the government, as pressure on the government intensifies to prevent action in recent negotiations.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Mick Lynch, secretary general of the RMT Railways, warned that the strikes next week would be followed by further action that would continue throughout the year and beyond, unless a deal is reached.
“As long as there is an agreement, there will be a strike campaign and other unions will join us. . . I expect more strikes, “Lynch said. “We will renew the mandates until we find a solution to the problems in the dispute,” he added.
On Tuesday, 40,000 Network Rail employees at 13 train operators will go on strike over wage disputes and layoffs, which are expected to cause major disruptions to transport.
Lynch said the rail strike could still be lifted within the next 48 hours if train companies accept their demands for job losses, pay and working conditions. “We have a threat to jobs. We want a guarantee that there will be no forced redundancies, “he told LBC.
But Grant Shaps, the transport minister, accused RMT of “shooting” for strikes that would punish millions of innocent people, instead of calmly discussing the sensible and necessary reforms we need to make to protect our rail network.
He said the RMT was “removing the weapon”, adding that it “seems determined to strike” instead of focusing on the negotiations.
RMT said the wage increases discussed – by just 2 per cent – were inadequate, given that inflation is expected to reach 11 per cent this year. Union members voted for a six-month strike in May, leaving more strikes in the summer and fall.
The Institute for Fiscal Research’s think tank said on Sunday that the government had done enough to help lower-paid workers as inflation rose, even if RMT’s demands for raises were “understandable”.
“If everyone does [agreeing to significant pay rises]then it will mean that inflation is built into the economy, so we will all be better off if we all take on rising wages with low inflation, “IFS Director Paul Johnson told Times Radio.
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He added that the government has spent “a huge amount of money” this year to support people’s living standards.
“They [rail workers] in fact, we don’t need to get a full inflation-protected wage increase this year, because, especially for people on modest incomes, the level of government support is really, beyond Covid, almost unprecedented.
The opposition Labor Party has called on the government to hold final talks with unions to prevent strikes.
In a letter to Shaps on Sunday, Shadow Transport Minister Louise Hay wrote: “The only way to resolve this is for your government to stop boycotting the talks and bypassing the table.
Lisa Nandi, secretary of the Labor Party in the shadow of equalization, said the government had failed to engage properly with the unions. “None of us wants the strikes to continue,” she told the BBC.
Kwasi Kwarteng, business secretary, accused unions of “bribing” workers to strike, citing an increase in daily strike payments made by the Unison union from £ 25 a day to £ 50 a day, payable from day one. on strike instead of the fourth day.
The strikes will take place on June 21, 23 and 25, with Network Rail warning that the break is expected to continue in the days between the actions.
All major UK train lines are expected to be disrupted, including the London Underground, LNER, Avanti West Coast and many railways.
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