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UK Rail Strike Overview:
- Who: More than 40,000 rail workers have begun striking in the UK.
- Why: Rail workers are striking over complaints related to pay amid ongoing concern over rising cost-of-living expenses.
- Where: The rail strike involves rail workers in the UK.
More than 40,000 rail workers in the UK walked out during the first day of Britain’s rail strike earlier this week.
The rail strike is the biggest in 30 years in the UK and is being done amidst ongoing concerns of rising cost-of-living expenses, reports Reuters.
Millions of rail customers in the UK are now facing inconvenience on account of the rail strike, while both the rail unions and government have promised to hold firm on their disagreement over the rail workers’ pay.
The rail strike, which was due to be replicated yesterday and tomorrow, has already caused major disruptions to major rail service stations around the UK, reports Reuters.
Unions have said the rail strike could be only the beginning of a summer filled with discontent among workers in a variety of industries—including education, healthcare, and waste disposal, among others, reports Reuters.
Mick Lynch, secretary-general of the Rail Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), said union members are “leading the way for all workers in this country who are sick and tired of having their pay and conditions slashed by a mixture of big business profits and government policy,” reports Reuters.
The RMT is seeking a pay increase of at least 7% for its members, while the Network Rail has countered with an offer of a 2% increase, with an additional 1% linked to reforms in the industry which the union disagrees with, reports Reuters.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson Calls Rail Strike ‘Unnecessary’
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, meanwhile, has reportedly said that the rail strike is “wrong and unnecessary” and that it will end up harming businesses which are already reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Public opinion on the rail strike is reportedly somewhat divided, with 37% of respondents to a YouGov poll supportive of the action and 45% opposed to it, reports Reuters.
The rail strike comes amidst a period of rising inflation across Europe, due in part to a major increase in the cost of energy.
Other parts of Europe have similarly been affected over concerns related to the rising cost-of-living expenses, which caused disruptions to occur at Brussels Airport in Belgium earlier this week, reports Reuters.
A £93 million class action lawsuit filed against Southeastern and South Western Railway, meanwhile, was given the okay to proceed by the Competition Appeal Tribunal last October.
The class action lawsuit was filed by a group of railcard commuters arguing that millions of those like themselves were overcharged by the railways during portions of their rail trips.
Railcard commuters argued the railways had failed to adequately advertise the existence of boundary fares, which led to them being double charged for parts of their trips which their railcard should have covered.
Have you been affected by the rail strike? Let us know in the comments!
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