London — Tuesday morning, Britain begins warning union leaders as it confuses the biggest rail strike in 30 years, train stops nationwide, and travel plans for tens of millions of British and visitors. By doing so, I became inconvenienced. Summer of labor insecurity.
Most trains stopped for the first three days of the strike on Monday night as the final negotiations between the major unions and the railroad operators collapsed. Most trains are also likely to stop on Thursdays and Saturdays, causing delays and disruptions throughout the system throughout the week.
In London, workers in the underground system went on strike in another wage dispute on Tuesday, threatening to shut down most of their capital. The bus continued to run and the skeleton train was running.
The strike is a major challenge for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to ask the union to compromise wage demands when the coronavirus pandemic keeps ridership and ticket revenues well below normal levels.
So far, the government has refused to directly intervene in talks between the union and Network Rail, the company that controls the country’s rail system, and privatized rail operators.
Read more about organized labor in the United States
But rising food and fuel prices and wages haven’t kept up, so Johnson will face restless workers in multiple industries. Teachers, airline employees, and criminal defense lawyers are among those threatening to quit their jobs.
The National Rail, Shipping and Transport Workers’ Union, known as RMT, a major rail union, is demanding a salary increase according to living expenses. At a combat press conference on Monday, union secretary Mick Lynch blamed the government’s “deadlock” for the deadlock.
Lynch told Sky News the day before that trading should have taken place in December, when the retail price index, an indicator of inflation, was 7%. Since then, the annual rate in April has skyrocketed to 11.1%, the highest since 1982. The latest wage increases offered by railroad operators are much lower.
Johnson said in a statement released by Downing Street on Monday night that he would blame RMT, give passengers unacceptable fare increases, and maintain labor practices dating back to the Victorian era.
“The union is harming the people they claim to be supporting,” the prime minister said. “By advancing these railroad strikes, they are ultimately driving away commuters who support the work of railroad workers, while at the same time affecting businesses and communities across the country.”
“If wage demands are too high, it will be very difficult to end the current challenges faced by families around the world with rising living costs,” Johnson said. “Now is the time to reach a wise compromise for the benefit of the British people and the railroad workforce.”
Johnson’s Conservatives faced an important parliamentary election to win two seats on Thursday, and the strike quickly became a political dispute. The opposition Labor Party has accused the Conservative government of failing to break the deadlock. The Conservative Party said the Labor Party is supporting strikes that inconvenience millions of people and hinder Britain’s recovery from a pandemic.
In Wakefield, one of the two districts holding elections, a major local bus company has already been on strike for several days.
Britain is trapped in the economic vise of rising prices and slow wages that are afflicting countries around the world. After adjusting for inflation, wages are declining at the fastest pace in more than a decade. This problem can be exacerbated as prices continue to rise and spread to more goods and services.
The global supply chain turmoil following the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed up oil, natural gas, wheat and fertilizer prices. Fuel and food prices are rising at a rate not seen in decades. In the UK, income pressures have forced reluctant governments to provide financial assistance to households.
Economists are worried that living expenses will curb personal consumption, endanger vulnerable businesses, and put the economy in recession. The UK economy showed signs of weakness in the first three months of this year.
At the same time, policy makers are concerned that price increases will be incorporated into the economy as companies raise prices for higher costs and workers demand higher wages.
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said wage negotiations needed to be “suppressed” earlier this year. Otherwise, inflation will worsen, especially among high-income earners.
In addition, during the pandemic, the industry has lost workers due to illness and other jobs, leading to a serious staff shortage. In London, Heathrow and other airports are asking airlines to cancel their flights during the summer travel season due to a shortage of baggage handlers and other workers.
Employers are competing for staff with bonuses and wage increases, but workers aren’t feeling profits because inflation is eating up those extra profits. Other unions, including those representing teachers and workers on the National Health Service, are threatening to strike if wage agreements are not keeping up with inflation.