The UK’s largest transport union, RMT, began a 48-hour strike on Friday, causing disruptions to rail services across the country, including during a highly anticipated sports weekend. The ongoing pay dispute between RMT and employers started in June of last year as public and private sector workers pushed for bigger pay hikes amid the cost-of-living crisis. As the strike continues, many train operators in England have seen services decrease – even fewer services are expected on Saturday due to a disruption by train driver’s union ASLEF. This Saturday, two of England’s biggest annual sporting events take place: the FA Cup Final and the derby at Epsom Downs in Surrey. The cup final is between Manchester United and Manchester City, whose fans would normally have made heavy use of the Avanti West Coast service.
In response, the Football Association has organized 120 coaches, 60 for supporters of each club, to transport fans from Manchester to London on Saturday. Extra parking at Wembley has also been arranged. Epsom Downs Racecourse has made extra car parking available for the tens of thousands expected, warning that no nearby train stations will be open. The unions have made separate pay deals with Transport for London, Transport for Wales, Merseytravel and ScotRail, meaning their services will not be affected. Three commercial operations – Hull Trains, Grand Central and Lumo – are also exempt. The Transportation Department did not respond to a request for comment.
As the strike continues, the head of the RMT, Mick Lynch, said in a BBC interview that it would be “completely irresponsible” for the union to sign the terms set by the train operating companies represented by the Rail Delivery Group, in which the union workers would be disarmed. The offer to RMT workers included guaranteed minimum cash amounts that would give the lowest-paid staff a raise of up to 13% in both years. Lynch said in a separate letter to MPs that the dispute had already cost the economy nearly £5bn, with Hospitality UK claiming its members had lost £3.25 billion in revenue due to the disruptions. The RDG challenged Lynch’s characterization of the preconditions and called on union leadership to engage with the financial challenges facing the industry.
Summary:
The RMT union’s 48-hour strike has caused widespread disruptions to rail services across the UK, coinciding with a major sporting weekend. The ongoing pay dispute between RMT and employers began in June of last year and has led to cuts in services due to a disruption by train driver’s union ASLEF. Several companies have made separate pay deals with unions and are therefore exempt from the strike. Despite negotiations, RMT’s head, Mick Lynch, has refused to accept the terms of the train operating companies represented by the Rail Delivery Group, causing further disruption.
Additional Piece:
The strike highlights the ongoing tension between workers and employers following the economic challenges and uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. While public and private sector workers across the UK have been pushing for larger pay hikes, employers are struggling to stay financially afloat in the current economic climate. According to the Resolution Foundation, while more and more employees have received larger pay rises in recent months, the risk of unemployment and underemployment remains high, especially for young and low-wage workers.
This strike could exacerbate the tension between workers and employers and lead to further economic instability. As businesses and industries struggle to recover from the pandemic, labor disruptions could negatively impact the country’s economic growth and recovery efforts. Additionally, customers are likely to shift to more reliable and stable transportation options, leaving many rail companies with long-term financial consequences. Therefore, it is important for both workers and employers to find a common ground in negotiating wages and conditions.
By addressing the root causes of the pay dispute between RMT and employers and finding long-term solutions, the parties can move towards a more productive and sustainable working relationship. This requires a deep understanding of each other’s needs and perspectives, as well as a willingness to compromise and collaborate. Ultimately, resolving the dispute would create a more stable, reliable, and profitable transportation system that benefits everyone involved.
Summary:
The ongoing tension between workers and employers highlights the challenges and uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. While the economic recovery is underway and many employees have received larger pay hikes, the risk of unemployment and underemployment remains high for some sectors. The ongoing RMT strike could lead to further economic instability and negatively impact the country’s recovery efforts. It is important for both parties to find common ground in negotiating wages and conditions, which could lead to an improved working relationship and a more profitable transportation system.
Sources:
https://www.ft.com/content/0562a312-5cc7-4603-a4f4-26099d4d6aa3
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/may/06/uk-rail-strike-two-day-action-causes-guided-tour-quiet-coaches
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61444711
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The head of the UK’s largest transport union has said he will not “disarm” by agreeing to preconditions for pay talks, at the start of a 48-hour strike set to cause widespread disruption to rail services across Britain during a intense sports weekend.
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch he told the BBC it would be “completely irresponsible” for the union – whose members walked out on Friday – to sign the terms set by the train operating companies represented by the Rail Delivery Group.
The ongoing pay dispute between RMT and employers, which started in June of last yearcomes as public and private sector workers push for bigger hikes in the middle of the cost-of-living crisis.
The two-day strike will affect most train operators in England, with Friday’s strike by RMT-affiliated guardsmen and station staff nearly halving the number of services. Even fewer services are expected on Saturday due to a disruption by train drivers union Aslef, which is stuck in a separate wage litigation with 14 railway operators.
Saturday’s strike will be particularly severe for people trying to reach two of England’s biggest annual sporting events: the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium in London and the derby at Epsom Downs in Surrey.
The cup final is between Manchester United and Manchester City, whose fans would normally have made heavy use of the Avanti West Coast service.
Kevin Parker, general secretary of Manchester City FC Supporters Club, said fans were “really frustrated that Aslef and RMT have decided to go on strike at a time that will impact supporters of both clubs and their families.” ”.
Accusing “both unions” of using supporters as “pawns”, he added that many fans “have had to abandon their trip to Wembley or pay higher costs for both travel and accommodation”.
Aslef and RMT say the wage offers for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 financial years amount to cuts in real terms. The railway operators have offered pay increases of 4% for both years for ASLEF members, while RMT workers have been offered pay increases of 5% for last year and 4% for this year.
The offer to RMT, which settled a long-standing wage dispute with infrastructure owner Network Rail in March, includes guaranteed minimum cash amounts that would give the lowest-paid staff a raise of up to 13% in both years.
Lynch said on Friday that, as part of a settlement, the RDG had ordered the union to declare the dispute settled before entering three months of talks on reforms, including closing underutilized ticket offices.
“They asked us to do it without any mandate [for further strikes] and without any leverage at the negotiating table,” he told the BBC. “They wanted us to disarm at the negotiating table and we simply can’t do that. That would be completely irresponsible.”
In a separate letter to MPs, Lynch said the dispute had already cost the economy nearly £5bn. The figure was based primarily on lobby group Hospitality UK’s claim that its members had lost £3.25 billion in revenue due to the disruptions.
The RDG said it challenged Lynch’s characterization of the preconditions and that RMT negotiators had a record of accepting the terms, only to be overruled by union executive members.
He called on union leadership “to seriously engage with the financial challenges facing the industry. . . and come back to the table so we can settle this dispute.”
In an attempt to make up for the disruption, the Football Association has organized 120 coaches, 60 for supporters of each club, to transport fans from Manchester to London on Saturday. He also arranged extra parking at Wembley.
Meanwhile, Epsom Downs Racecourse did extra car parking available for the tens of thousands expected, warning that no nearby train stations will be open.
The unions have made separate pay deals with Transport for London, Transport for Wales, Merseytravel and ScotRail, meaning their services will not be affected. Three “open access” commercial operations — Hull Trains, Grand Central and Lumo — are also exempt.
The Transportation Department did not respond to a request for comment.
https://www.ft.com/content/6914d612-6377-49aa-b05e-ecaaf85b8641
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