The first day of the biggest rail strikes in decades gave much of Britain a reminder of confinement, with quieter city centers as millions of people avoided public transport, worked from home or they grabbed their cars.
About 80% of services were cut during the 24-hour strike by 40,000 RMT members, leaving much of the north of England, Wales and Scotland without a train. Of the few trains that ran and the stations that remained open, most were silent, as passengers followed the advice to avoid traveling.
A one-day London Underground strike by another 10,000 RMT members increased the difficulties for those who had to cross the capital by closing virtually the entire tube network.
Domestic rail services will start later in the day and on Wednesday with reduced timetables, due to the side effects of the march and staff strike on some night shifts.
Talks will resume between Network Rail and the RMT, as well as between the union and train operators, ahead of two more than 24-hour national departures scheduled for Thursday and Saturday.
Network Rail has stepped up pressure on the RMT to warn that it will begin the formal process to push for labor practice reforms and cut 1,800 maintenance workers, incorporating mandatory layoffs if necessary. Expectations of a breakthrough this week remain slim, after the union rejected offers worth 3% of the industry on Monday.
In a letter to RMT’s management, Network Rail said it “could not delay further” plans to reform its maintenance regimes, although “I would much rather implement them with your agreement and cooperation.”
Tim Shoveller, Network Rail’s chief negotiator, said: “The changes will mean the dumping of obsolete work practices and the introduction of new technologies, both of which will lead to a more efficient and secure maintenance organization.”
Glasgow Central Station on Tuesday. Photography: Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images
He said he expected most of the 1,800 job losses to come “by voluntary redundancy and natural waste,” although voluntary layoffs would require the union to accept the reforms.
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said participation in the picket lines was “fantastic and exceeded expectations” and promised that members would continue the campaign, “paving the way for all this country they are sick and tired of having their salary. ” and conditions cut by a mix of big business profits and government policy. ”
A spokesman for the Department of Transportation said the shutdown had affected businesses and unfairly cut off people from hospitals, schools and work, adding: “However, initial data show that, unlike in the past, , many people now have the opportunity to work from home, so we don’t even have to [had] a rush on the roads, as traffic has gone online, which means unions are not having the global impact they could have expected. “
As a result of the tube strike, London was hit hardest by rising traffic, according to satellite navigation company TomTom, with morning congestion levels measured in terms of extra time needed. to travel compared to free traffic, an increase from 77% a week ago to 98% today. Liverpool’s 8 a.m. congestion levels rose from 48% to 55% and Newcastle’s from 50% to 57%.
Waze, another satellite navigation company, said there was “bumper-to-bumper traffic” on the M25, M1 and M40 in London with more congestion in residential areas such as Ealing, Barking and Edmonton, with traffic moving at about 8 mph in the morning.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps described the departures as a “trick” and refused to enter into talks, saying it would “make things worse”. He reiterated the government’s plans to amend the strike laws and allow agency workers to take part in functions such as rail control, which the unions deemed unfeasible.
Several Labor MPs appeared on the picket lines to offer strong support, while the party leadership was wrong about whether to support the action, which the Conservatives have tried to blame on the opposition.
People waiting for a bus in central London. Photo: The Guardian
Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the Cabinet that travelers must be prepared to “stay the course” and prepare for new strikes, warning that without fundamental changes in the operation of the system, fares would increase and industry would decline.
The railway industry estimates that the strikes will cost £ 150 million in lost revenue during the week, with fears that it will also encourage many to stay working from home, as the number of railways once again exceeded 80% of previous levels. to the pandemic.
The hospitality industry said the impact could be even greater for restaurants, pubs and other businesses, with a possible £ 500m loss of revenue for a sector already affected by the coronavirus pandemic. .
According to retail data analyst Springboard, traffic on all major streets in the UK was down 8.5% from last week and 27% in central London.
Sign up for First Edition, our free daily newsletter, every weekday morning at 7:00 BST
However, many Londoners also cycled and walked to overcome the subway strike on a warm sunny day. Transport for London said there were only about 40,000 London Underground journeys in the morning, a 95% drop from last week, with a 7% increase in bus travel from last week. Bicycle rental also rose 46% from Monday.
Meanwhile, following predictions that the railway union’s position could lead to a broader summer of discontent, the postal union said it was considering a strike after rejecting a 2% pay rise offer as “totally inappropriate”.
The Communications Workers Union must warn a national vote of Royal Mail staff while pushing for an inflation-based, unrestricted award. The documents will be sent to CWU members on June 28, with the result three weeks later.