RMT’s Lynch raises the prospecct of a General Strike
COULD the rail dispute grow into a General Strike?
That was the rallying call from RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch on July 27, when he called on the TUC to gather support for a General Strike if Liz Truss becomes
Prime Minister and goes ahead with her plan to outlaw industrial action in key services.
“I would be looking for a General Strike if we can bring that off, but it’s up to others,” said Lynch.
Workers are only allowed to go on strike if they are in dispute with their employer. It is illegal to go on strike to support workers at another employer.
In a statement to RAIL, the TUC said: “Working people decide themselves if and when they are going to strike. Every strike is a democratic process with a ballot.
“Nobody takes the decision to strike lightly and working people would much rather have a negotiated settlement.
“But this government is now putting together a co-ordinated plan to cut the value of wages across the economy. So, if more strikes coincide, it reflects the broad attack on working people and their living standards coming from this government.”
The warning comes as the country faces four more days of rail strikes in mid-August. In London, they effectively combine to include three consecutive days.
The RMT has announced further one-day strikes at Network Rail and 14 train operating companies (TOCs) on Thursday August 18 and Saturday August 20. It follows strikes at the TOCs on July 27.
Drivers’ union ASLEF has also announced a one-day strike at nine TOCs on Saturday August 13, in a pay dispute.
Standing alongside the RMT, the TSSA announced that its members
(station and control room staff) will also go on strike on the same two days as the RMT.
The TSSA said it is the first rail industry-wide industrial action taken by the union in more than a generation, and “demonstrates the strength of feeling over pay and job security as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite”.
As this issue of RAIL closed for press, the TSSA was also expected to strike at Network Rail after a collapse in talks (see separate story, pages 8-9).
For passengers in London, it is effectively a three-day strike, as RMT members at London Underground will hold their fifth 24-hour strike on August 19 (see separate story, below).
Also, while strikes by RMT staff at Network Rail do not involve Transport for London staff, varying degrees of disruption are expected on the District and Bakerloo lines, London Overground, and the Elizabeth line, which all share some sections of track with Network Rail.
The 14 affected TOCs include for the first time RMT members at Govia Thameslink Railway, after its members voted to go on strike (RAIL 962). Previously, they had voted only for ‘action short of a strike’.
The strike has a wider effect at Network Rail as RMT staff including signallers and control staff - will not report for duty at any point during the 24 hours. This will lead to disruption spilling over into the previous afternoon and following mornings, with a later start to services as signalling staff return to work.
“The rail industry and the government need to understand that this dispute will not simply vanish,” said Lynch.
The TSSA is re-balloting members for strike action at West Midlands Trains, Northern, Greater Anglia and TransPennine Express. They have already voted for ‘action short of a strike’ (such as no overtime or rest-day working), and those members will take this action on August 18 and 20.