Public does not support strikes

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch has yet to win public support, with 45% of those questioned in a YouGov survey saying they oppose the strikes, compared with 37% who support them.

The survey, on the first day of the strikes (June 21), asked 2,516 adults if they supported or opposed the strikes, with 18% answering ‘don’t know’.

In detail, 27% said they ‘strongly oppose’ the strikes with only 14% saying they ‘strongly support’ them.

Worryingly for unions, the same poll showed that the disruption and impact of strikes seems fairly low, with 76% saying they have not had any impact on their travel plans, 18% saying they have been affected, and 6% ‘don’t know’.

Given that the three 24-hour strikes meant almost no trains running across the whole of Britain (due to knock on effects in Scotland and Wales), and with disruption continuing all week, commentators suggest that the Government’s threats about “striking yourself out of a job” might be truer than some may believe.

However, there is strong support to retain staffed ticket offices at most stations, with 60% of those surveyed opposing closures, compared with 19% supporting them. This strongly suggests that government policy does not chime with public attitudes.