Commuters and businesses bear brunt of mass walkout
WORKERS, students and business owners in London were all feeling the effects of yesterday’s rail strike that caused so much disruption.
Construction worker Emmanuel Okoye, 57, from Elephant and Castle, was trying to travel from London Bridge towards Dartford for work.
He said he will be more than an hour late and would have to leave early to get the last train home “not to be stranded”.
Sharing his thoughts on the strikes, he said: “They are striking for their own benefit. I would not say I am with them or against them, but my concern is how it affects me.
“Everything is more expensive and my salary is still down. It is everyone who is feeling it.
“I think if people have more money in their pocket it would be better for them.”
A bride-to-be was travelling to Gatwick Airport 12 hours early to ensure she was on time for her flight.
Cleaner Christina Dimitrieva, 37, from Upton Park, had a flight to Tunisia at 7.30pm but was waiting for a morning train so she did not miss her plane, as she is getting married on Saturday.
She said: “This is absolutely terrible – my flight is at 7.30pm but I have to get here now. I hope I can get it [the train] now and I will wait in the airport until the evening. I have had a stressful night.”
She added: “I do not support [the strikes] because today I feel it in myself. It is terrible for people, it is stressful. Imagine with a child, it is double stress.
“If I miss the flight it will cost me my whole life because it is my wedding.”
Tony Jolly, 67, had been at London Bridge since 6am as he had a panel wiring job to get to in Belvedere.
He did not realise that most trains were not running and had to wait until 8.04 for the next departure.
He said: “It’s taken a bit of time to get here, I did not realise the station was not open. The lack of information online is dreadful.
“I support strikes sort of. We continuously have strikes. Occasionally they tell us what they are for but we never find out what the resolution was.”
He added: “Seven per cent [pay rise] is a bit much with the state of things generally. Later on tonight it will be really good fun. It is anybody’s guess what time I will get home.”
One student who normally travels by train from Tonbridge to her school in London was forced to spend around £500 to stay in the city so she could be closer for her exams.
The BBC reported that 18-year-old Seryn booked into a hotel for three nights so she could take her A-levels as there were no normal services running from her home town.
She told the BBC: “If I went to a friend’s house that would be the only other option, and I didn’t want to do that because me and my parents decided that I wouldn’t be able to have a good night’s sleep before my exam.”
The owner of a hotel chain with premises scattered across the capital has said the rail strikes will cost him half-amillion pounds.
Tony Matharu, who owns the Blue Orchid Hotels Group, told the BBC: “Since the announcement [of the strikes] we’ve had cancellations worth more than £500,000.”
He said the hospitality industry cannot afford any more losses after the devastating impact of Covid, adding: “It could prove fatal for some of those trying to recover after two ruinous years.”