Travel problems in Britain will continue, as the consequences of the railway strikes cause a direct disruption.
Talks have resumed to try to resolve the bitter dispute over jobs, wages and conditions following a massive strike by railway workers on Tuesday, with new strikes scheduled for Thursday and Saturday.
But transport officials warned that services would be disrupted on Wednesday and throughout the week, and many would start later than normal because night workers, including Network Rail (NR) signalers and control room staff, they were part of Tuesday’s strike.
Wednesday would be “a pretty messy day,” said Anthony Smith, chief executive of Transport Focus.
“Virtually every train company has special timetables, services start late and trains and staff are not in the right place,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today program. please don’t assume this is a normal day “.
About 60% of trains will run on Wednesday as a whole, and some operators will stop services earlier than normal.
On Tuesday, 80% of services were suspended, leaving much of the north of England, Wales and Scotland without a train. About 40,000 members of the Network Rail Railway, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and 13 train operators are taking part in the industrial action. A one-day London Underground strike by 10,000 other RMT members exacerbated difficulties in the capital on Tuesday by shutting down virtually the entire underground network.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch praised a “fantastic” turnout at the picket lines and said the union would continue to fight for pay and conditions.
“RMT members are leading the way for all workers in this country who are sick and tired of their wages and conditions being reduced by a mix of big business profits and government policy,” he said. “Now is the time to stand up and fight for every railway worker in this dispute that we will win.”
On Wednesday, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said the government should “keep the line” against the RMT. “We need to reform the way railways work,” he told LBC Radio, adding that there were “old practices, which, frankly, are very obsolete and unnecessary.”
Network Rail has stepped up pressure on the RMT by warning that it will begin the formal process to drive changes in work practices and cut 1,800 maintenance workers, including mandatory redundancies if necessary. Expectations of a breakthrough this week remain low after the union rejected offers worth 3% of the industry on Monday.
Inflation in the UK rose to 9.1% on Wednesday, the highest rate in 40 years.
Raab said: “The only thing that will keep inflation higher for longer and undermine wage packages for longer is if we have public sector wage increases spiraling beyond what is responsible. And that’s what it’s all about. “It is precisely to protect the wages of those with the lowest incomes that we must keep the line.”
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Raab advocated restoring the triple blockade of pensions, which would mean that the state pension will increase in line with inflation. “[Pensioners] they are especially vulnerable and disproportionately affected by rising energy costs that we know everyone is facing, “he told Today.
He said the government had pledged £ 37bn to help people cope with rising costs, but that wage demands “would keep inflation higher for longer and this would only hurt the most poor the worst. “
Surveys show that three out of five people are in favor of the right to strike, with 35% against.
In a Savanta ComRes survey of more than 2,300 people, 58% said industrial action was justified. Younger adults aged 18-34 (72%) and Labor voters (79%) were more likely to consider justified strikes. Only 44% of respondents over the age of 55 supported the strikes and 38% of Conservative voters.
Boris Johnson has warned the public of new strike action, saying Downing Street would “not give in” to the demands of the railway unions.