One in six firms hit by rail chaos
ONE in six businesses say they are suffering from the impact of the rail walkouts, official data revealed last night.
On top of the 16 per cent that said they had been affected were 28 per cent saying they were unable to obtain key goods.
The proportion could be even higher now because the Office for National Statistics collected the figures in November, before the current wave of industrial action. The RMT’s 40,000 members will strike again for 48 hours from today, the 15th and 16th days they will have gone on strike since June. Yesterday fewer than one in ten rail services ran due to a walkout by train drivers in the Aslef union.
The union’s Mick Whelan said further strikes were ‘inevitable’ unless the deadlock in a pay dispute was broken. The RMT meanwhile has snubbed Network Rail’s offer of a 9 per cent rise over two years, worth up to 14 per cent for the lowest paid.