Biggest rail strike in 3 decades brings UK to standstill

LONDON: Tens of thousands of railway workers walked off the job in Britain on Tuesday, bringing the train network to a crawl in the country’s biggest transit strike for three decades - and a potential precursor to a summer of labour discontent.

About 40,000 cleaners, signallers, maintenance workers and station staff held a 24-hour strike, with two more planned for Thursday and Saturday. Compounding the pain for commuters, London Underground subway services were also hit by a walkout on Tuesday.

The dispute centres on pay, working conditions and job security as Britain’s railways struggle to adapt to travel and commuting habits changed perhaps forever - by the coronavirus pandemic. With passenger numbers still not back to prepandemic levels but the government ending emergency support that kept the railways afloat, train companies are seeking to cut costs and staffing.

Sustained national strikes are uncommon in Britain these days - but unions have warned the country to brace for more as workers face the worst cost-ofliving squeeze in more than a generation. Lawyers in England and Wales have announced they will walk out starting next week, and teachers’ unions plan to consult their members about possible action.

Major railway stations were largely deserted on Tuesday, with only about 20% of passenger trains scheduled to run. The strike upended the plans of employees trying to get to work, students during exam season and music-lovers headed for the Glastonbury Festival, which starts on Wednesday in southwest England.

Roads in London were more congested than usual as commuters turned to cars and taxis. But footfall was 27% lower than last Tuesday, according to retail analysts Springboard - presumably as many who could chose to work from home.

With inflation currently running at 9%, the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union says it cannot accept rail firms’ latest offer of a 3% raise. But the train companies argue they can’t offer more, given current passenger numbers. There were almost 1 billion train journeys in the UK in the year to March - compared to 1.7 billion in the 12 months before the pandemic.

While the Conservative government says it’s not involved in the talks, the union notes that it plays a major role in the heavily regulated industry, including providing subsidies long before the pandemic, and argues it could give rail companies more flexibility to offer a substantial pay increase.

The government has warned that big raises will spark a wageprice spiral driving inflation even higher.

London’s Heathrow Airport asked some airlines to cancel a number of flights scheduled for Monday

Airport authorities requested carriers cancel about 10% of flights across terminal two and three, a spokesperson said

The move came in response to the knock-on effect of a baggage system fault over the weekend. About 30 flights were hit by the move

The aviation industry’s capacity crisis has deepened as postlockdown travel demand has surged, with airlines and airports struggling to hire enough staff to handle the flows