Britain’s rail network faces fresh strike disruption in pay dispute

People queue to check in for the Eurostar rail service at St Pancras International Station in London, Britain, July 25, 2022. (Reuters)

• Inflation in Britain is running at a 40-year high and is expected to reach double digits later this year

LONDON: Britain’s rail network faces major disruption again on Wednesday as rail workers and station staff walk out in a row over pay and conditions, the latest in a catalogue of industrial unrest as wages fail to keep pace with soaring inflation.
The 24-hour strike by more than 40,000 members of the RMT and TSSA unions will see around half Britain’s rail network closed, with train companies operating a much reduced timetable and some parts of the country having no rail service at all.
Network Rail said passengers, including commuters, families heading off on summer holidays, and sports fans on their way to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham which begins on Thursday, should only travel if necessary.
Strike action last month brought Britain’s rail network close to a standstill for three days.
“Our members are more determined than ever to secure a decent pay rise, job security and good working conditions,” RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said in a statement.
“Network Rail have not made any improvement on their previous pay offer and the train companies have not offered us anything new.”
Earlier this month, the RMT said Network Rail, the owner and infrastructure manager of most of the rail network in Britain, made an offer of 4 percent, followed by a possible 4 percent the following year dependent on staff accepting changes to their contracts.
Inflation in Britain is running at a 40-year high and is expected to reach double digits later this year.
The government last week changed the law to make it easier for businesses to use temporary staff to minimize the impact of strike action.
The frontrunner in the race to succeed Boris Johnson as prime minister, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, has pledged to go further, bringing in a new law guaranteeing a minimum level of service on “vital national infrastructure” and also raising the minimum threshold for strike votes.
Ferry services between Southampton in southern England and Cowes in the Isle of Wight will also be disrupted on Wednesday, as 120 staff begin a 24-hour strike in a dispute over pay, with more than 10 further walkouts planned throughout August.
On Saturday, train drivers at eight British rail companies will also strike in a dispute over pay.