LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s biggest rail strike in 30 years began on Tuesday.
In the fight for higher wages and against job cuts, the first pickets were set up in the morning. More than 40,000 railway workers are likely to take part in the strike, paralyzing around half of the British rail network. The London Underground was also mostly out of service due to a separate strike. The railway workers also want to go on strike on Thursday and Friday. According to the unions, the walkout is only the prelude to a possible “summer of dissatisfaction” in which teachers, doctors and even lawyers will also take part in industrial action. Many Brits are suffering from rising food and fuel prices.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson accused the unions of harming those they are trying to help. “With these strikes, they drive out commuters, who ultimately secure the jobs of the railroad workers,” Johnson was supposed to say at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, according to a statement from his office. The consequences of the walkout would be felt by companies and communities across the country.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced a change in legislation that would oblige rail operators to provide minimum supplies on strike days and allow striking staff to be replaced by substitutes. “We will ensure that things like this do less damage in the future,” Shapps told Sky News.
The British economy had initially recovered well from the corona pandemic. According to experts, a combination of labor shortages, disrupted supply chains, inflation and post-Brexit trade disputes could lead to a recession. UK inflation hit a 40-year high of 9% in April. It is expected that the ten percent mark will be exceeded in the further course of the year.
The current industrial dispute has drawn comparisons to the 1970s. At that time there was a series of strikes in Great Britain, which finally led to the “Winter of Discontent” of 1978/79. The current strikes come at a time when travelers at UK airports are experiencing delays and last-minute cancellations due to staff shortages. In addition, many Brits have to wait months for new passports due to delays in processing.
(Report by Elke Ahlswede and Rene Wagner, edited by Myria Mildenberger. If you have any questions, please contact our editorial team at [email protected] (for politics and economics) or [email protected] (for companies and markets ).)