- Rail Employees to Strike for Three Days in July Over Wages and Working Conditions
- Stalled Negotiations: RMT Union Calls for Strikes at 14 Rail Companies
- Pay Push: Unions Demand Higher Wages Reflecting Rising Cost of Living
Thousands of railway employees will go on strike for three days in July as part of a protracted dispute over wages and working conditions.
The RMT union has called for strikes on 20, 22, and 29 July at 14 rail companies.
It stated that negotiations between the government and transport companies had stalled.
Train operators, however, deemed the action “unnecessary” and implored the union to present the most recent pay offer to its members.
Previous strikes in the dispute have wreaked havoc.
As the cost of living increases rapidly, unions are pressing for higher wages. But rail companies have stated they will not pay more without concessions on conditions.
If train operators did not make a new offer, 20,000 RMT members—guards, train supervisors, and station employees—would strike.
Mick Lynch, the union’s general secretary, stated that train operators and the government had “made no effort whatsoever to arrange any meetings or put forward a decent offer to help us reach a negotiated solution.
“The government continues to bind the companies and will not permit them to propose a settlement package,” he continued.
The fourth and fifth Ashes Tests and The Open golf championship were recent strike dates.
Pay Push
According to labor unions, any pay offer must reflect the rising cost of living. Inflation, as measured by the rate of general price increases, is 8.7%.
The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, recently proposed a 5 percent retroactive pay increase for 2022.
Before receiving a 4% salary raise negotiated with operators for the second year, unions would have to agree to modifications.
Rail operators want the RMT to give its latest salary offer to its members before negotiating.
The RDG stated that additional strikes were “unnecessary” and that the RMT had only succeeded in costing its members more money than they would have received through pay offers.
A spokesperson stated, “We have now made three offers that the RMT executive has rejected without a convincing explanation.”
According to a senior rail source, union members have lost £2,000 in wages due to strike action thus far.
“Negotiation has yielded no results. We have compromised on pay, employment protections, and issues such as driver-only trains, according to a source.
“Nothing is ever sufficient; all of our proposals have been rejected, not even by our employees, who have not cast a single ballot.” No more ransom demands; the industry must adapt to survive, said the source.
The Department of Transport stated that the strikes were “targeting two iconic international sporting events” and would cause disruptions for families at the beginning of the summer break.
“After a year of industrial action, passengers and rail workers alike are growing tired of union bosses playing politics with their lives,” a spokesperson stated.
The government has assisted train operators in submitting “fair and reasonable pay offers that would result in substantial wage increases for rail workers,” according to a government spokesperson. “Union leaders should do the right thing and give their members the chance to vote on these pay offers.”
The announcement of the strike comes on the same day that Andrew Bailey, governor of the Bank of England, stated that wage increases “cannot continue” at the current rate if inflation is to be reduced, reiterating the Bank’s appeal for workers to exercise restraint.
The union’s industrial action began a year ago, and members voted last month to continue it for another six months.
The rail strikes, according to UK Hospitality, have dealt a “hammer blow” to taverns, bars, and restaurants.
“Strike disruption over the past year has already cost the hospitality sector £3.25bn in lost sales, and there is no doubt that this figure will increase as a result of these strike days,” said the group’s chief executive, Kate Nicholls.
