Britons are facing a greater travel crisis this summer as thousands of rail workers go on strike for three days later this month – the biggest rail strike since 1989.
Rail, Maritime and Transport Association (RMT) members here network rail And 13 train operators will walk out on June 21, 23 and 25.
The planned strike, which will begin on Tuesday and last till Saturday, covers the busiest days of the week for the railroad since the pandemic.
They will take place the week of two by-elections and disrupt travel to major events, including the Glastonbury festival.
RMT also announced another 24-hour strike London Underground In a separate line on jobs and pensions.
Tube workers will strike with the first rail strike on June 21, threatening widespread travel chaos.
Meanwhile, travelers continue to experience delayed and canceled flights at UK airports, with thousands of families stranded abroad.
Pictured: RMT union boss Mick Lynch, who is planning a wave of rail strikes this summer
The union said it would be the biggest strike on the railways since 1989.
Union members voted overwhelmingly for action last month in escalating rows over wages and job losses.
The RMT said rail workers working during the pandemic were facing pay freezes and hundreds of job cuts.
RMT Secretary General Mick Lynch said: ‘Railway employees have been treated horribly and despite our best efforts at negotiating, the rail industry, with the support of the government, has failed to take their concerns seriously.
“We have a cost-of-living crisis, and it is unacceptable for rail workers to either lose their jobs or face another year of wage freezes when inflation is rising further to 11.1 per cent.
‘Our union will now launch a sustained campaign of industrial action that will shut down the railway system.
‘Rail companies are making at least £500m a year in profits, while fat cat rail owners have been paid millions during the Covid-19 pandemic.
‘This unfairness is fueling the anger of our members and their determination to win a fair settlement.
‘RMT is ready for fruitful talks with rail owners and ministers, but they will need to come up with new proposals to prevent months of disruption on our railways.’
The union said more than 50,000 railway workers would step out on June 21, adding that the action would affect the national railway network for the entire week.
Andrew Haines, CEO of Network Rail, said: ‘We continue to meet with our trade unions to discuss their wage concerns and we are doing everything possible to avoid strike action on the railways.
“We know that the cost of living has gone up and we want to give a wage increase to our people, but the RMT must understand that we are a public body and any wage increase should be affordable to the taxpayers.
Leicester Square station closed this morning amid strike action organized by RMT union
“Travel habits have changed forever and railways should also change. We cannot expect to take more than our fair share of public money, and therefore we must modernize our industry to keep it in a sound financial position for the foreseeable future.
‘Failure to modernize will only lead to a decline in the industry and more job losses in the long run.
“It takes two weeks for the first strike to be planned. We will use this time to talk to our unions and, through compromise and common sense on both sides, we hope to find a solution and all will be involved in strike action to avoid harm.’
The heat of discontent: fears grow over a repeat of the infamous winter of 1978 as number of strikes scheduled for months to come
There are growing fears of a repeat of the 1978 ‘Winter of Discontent’ in which strikes by idle workers, grave diggers and lorry drivers resulted in poor conditions for Britons under Labor PM Jim Callaghan.
It comes as unions have threatened a national rail strike, forcing Network Rail to work on a skeleton timetable to reserve tracks for the movement of goods – passengers only. Access to key services.
Civil servants have also threatened a national strike action that could bring disruption to key infrastructure such as ports, courts and airports after they were offered a 2 per cent wage hike, which they are currently facing due to the inflation-causing life crisis. Consider the cost insufficient. 9 percent level.
The head of the Transport Salaried Workers’ Union, Manuel Cortés, threatened the biggest disruption since the general strike of 1926.
But it is not only the railways that are going to be largely disrupted by strikes in the coming months. Holidaymakers traveling to and from Heathrow this summer will have to prepare for delays and slow service, as the GMB union votes for a strike at the airport.
There are growing fears of a repeat of the 1978 ‘Winter of Discontent’ in which several strikes made living conditions worse across Britain
Steve Montgomery, chairman of Rail Delivery Group, said: ‘Today’s announcement is disappointing.
‘We urge the leadership of RMT to withdraw unnecessary and harmful strikes and continue to work with us to ensure a fair deal for our people and taxpayers while securing the long term future of the Railways.
‘No one wins in the event of a strike. Employees lose pay, industry loses significant revenue that makes wage increases harder to afford, and travelers and businesses are disrupted.
‘While we will keep as many services running as possible, sadly if this action goes ahead, significant disruption will be inevitable.
‘Therefore, we urge travelers to plan their travel carefully and find alternative ways to travel during the strike period where possible.’
Anthony Smith, chief executive of watchdog Transport Focus, said: ‘Travellers will be disappointed that the rail industry and the RMT have not reached an agreement and a strike has been announced.
‘This means uncertainty for the passengers, so it is important that all parties get back on the table and resolve the matter without stopping the railways.
In the event of a strike, the passengers suffer the most. Advance information about the strike and what services will be running will be needed to allow passengers to plan their travel during this uncertain time.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: ‘It is incredibly disappointing that the RMT has decided to take action that could turn passengers off the rail network for good.
‘The pandemic has changed travel habits – 25% lower ticket sales and the taxpayer has stepped in to keep the railways running at a cost of £16 billion, the equivalent of £600 per family. We must work now to bring the industry to a sustainable level.
‘We are working with industry to reduce the disruption caused by strike action, but unions are jumping the gun by announcing this when talks have just begun.
‘We would once again urge the unions to engage with the rail industry so that we can work together to build a better, more modern, passenger-centric railway.’
The union’s resistance to modernization has been termed ‘absurd’, with an industry source revealing last month that employees were barred from using mobile phone apps to communicate during the pandemic. Ministers believe that modernization could save millions of lives.
The GMB union is overseeing the threat of action at Heathrow.
Its national officer, Nadine Houghton, said: ‘Heathrow’s staff have been verbally and physically abused by angry passengers due to British Airways staff shortages and IT failures, causing the airport to come to a near standstill.
‘Also, his salary was cut during BA’s harsh fire and re-hiring policy.
‘Now they want that money back. The owners have taken it back. Heathrow Ground and check in staff want to know why they don’t have one either.
‘The unrest has now started spreading like wildfire to other groups of BA workers and many more are now contemplating to vote to exit.
‘British Airways faces the scorching heat of travel chaos if they don’t give these employees what they deserve.’
Civil servants have also threatened a national strike action that could bring disruption to key infrastructure such as ports, courts and airports after they were offered a 2 per cent wage hike, which they are currently facing due to the inflation-causing life crisis. Consider the cost insufficient. 9 percent level.