Backing for rail strike as day two looms
COMMUTERS have largely backed striking railway workers as the nation braces itself for a second day of action today.
On Tuesday services were slashed as the biggest rail walkout in 30 years got under way. The same is expected today, with a third day of action planned for Saturday.
The row over pay and conditions has sparked a bitter battle between unions and the government, with last-ditch talks failing to resolve the disagreement.
However, despite facing delays and missed meetings on Tuesday, passengers in Manchester city centre largely threw their support behind rail workers joining the walkout.
Teresa McHugh, who won’t be able to see her daughter on the strike days, said: “If we all went on strike, there wouldn’t be anything. I do not know what conditions they work in – but I have been on strike in the past.”
Karen Davies said: “When I came in on the bus on the M60 near Audenshaw – at about 7.50am – it was three lines straight going to Stockport. The M60 was busy this morning. It is a yes and no from me [on if I support the workers on strike] I can understand where they are coming from.”
Taxis, usually a staple at Manchester’s grand Victorian stations, were sparse on Tuesday and Piccadilly eerily quiet. Ikram, a driver for 22 years, said: “My last job was 45 minutes ago. At this time it would [usually] be 10 or 15 minutes. It is the same all around the city centre. It is not as dead as Covid, but this is second to that.”
Union officials at the Piccadilly picket on Tuesday also said they had received positive feedback. “We’ve had a few passers-by and they have given us a toot of the horn and also we’ve quite a few sirens,” Clayton Clive – the RMT Manchester South branch secretary – said. “We’ve had lots of support from people driving by as well. Generally I think the average person who uses the train is supportive. They know the workers
are not on exaggerated salaries.
“I oddly think – maybe I am being optimistic – that the support will grow. The people on the fence will soon realise it’s the government shackling the companies from negotiating.”
And the opening day of action has also fuelled confidence from RMT bosses, with Mick Lynch declaring it ‘fantastic’ and ‘exceed expectations’ – adding that the union ‘will win’ the dispute.
However, the government is also not backing down, with a spokesperson for the Department for Transport saying: “These are desperately needed reforms that modernise the railway and put it on a sustainable footing for passengers and taxpayers.”