UK’s biggest rail strike in 30 years shuts down public transport

Tuesday marks Britain’s biggest strike in 30 years. Some 40,000 employees of the UK rail manager Network Rail, among others, have resigned. Employees of the thirteen railway providers are also out of work. Report it British media. Of the 20,000 services normally running, only 4,500 were operational on Tuesday.

Trains that run start later and stop earlier, i.e. from 07:30 to 18:30. The London Underground will not operate at all on Tuesday. The impact of the strike extended to Scotland and Wales. While rail providers there are not involved in strikes, they cannot function properly if UK Network Rail employees are not working.

Tourists will still be affected by the strike for the rest of the week. Railroad workers went on strike again on Thursday and Saturday. The RMT Union, the UK’s transport union, previously said the strike could last until the end of the year if demands were not heeded.

salary increases

Unions are demanding a 7 percent wage increase, partly because of rising inflation. Network Rail previously proposed a 2 percent pay increase, which the union rejected. The RMT Union also calls for better working conditions and security in the event of forced termination of employment.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told his cabinet on Tuesday that the strike did more harm to rail workers than good, according to Reuters news agency. “By continuing this rail strike, they are driving away passengers which will eventually allow the work of the railroad workers while the whole country is also affected by the strike.”

As of Monday afternoon, unions, rail companies and government representatives were still in vain in talks in an attempt to prevent a strike. British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the government was “doing its best” to stop the strike, but negotiations were largely a matter of unions and rail companies.

Rebecca Burke

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