The strike is taking place as travelers to British airports face chaotic delays and last-minute cancellations due to labor shortages, while many Britons are forced to wait for months for their new passports due to delays in processing.
London, Thanasis Gavos
Desert landscapes are now the stations of the national railway network in Britainas well as its stations basement railway in London, as it is in effect from midnight “The biggest strike in 33 years”as characterized.
They are only in operation one in five itineraries and these from 50% of the stations until early in the evening.
Outside central stations are carried out pickets of the strikers, mainly from the RMT union that represents the employees in the operation and maintenance of the railway network but also in the big railway companies, who demand increases of earnings of 7% instead of the 3% offered. As they say, the inflation is running at 9% and accuracy squeezes their real income.
The strike on the national railway network will also continue on Thursday and Saturdaybut passengers are advised not to travel by train even on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, due to the disturbance that the strike will cause in the network.
The strike has caused significant inconvenience to workers, who usually travel by train to Britain, but it is estimated that most will eventually relive the pandemic lockdown experience and work from home this week. This seems to be confirmed by the reports of those in charge that the traffic on the road network on Tuesday morning was not particularly high.
In his morning interviews, the Minister of Transport Grand Saps He said that despite the dialogue with the unions, the strike could not be prevented. But he added: “For future strikes we will ensure that the law is firmly on the passenger side, on the consumer side».
The government is oriented towards the submission of a bill that will change the current ones and will allow the strikers to be replaced during the days of the strike with employees in other departments of their companies or with fixed-term staff recruitment by agencies.
Provision will also be made “Minimum level of services” even in the event of a strike.
Railway workers’ unions are warning of new strikes in the summer and until Christmas. The lawyers have also expressed their intention to strike, while mobilizations of teachers, medical and nursing staff and postal workers are under discussion, among others, in a summer that is already described as a “summer of discontent”.
This week’s strike is estimated to cost the British economy, mainly in tourism and catering, around 1 1 billion.
