Railway workers are again on strike Friday and Saturday in the United Kingdom to demand wage increases in the face of inflation, after having rejected the proposals for revaluation made so far by the companies.
The train drivers are on strike Friday at the call of the Aslef union, while the maintenance and control agents will strike on Saturday at the call of the RMT union. Rail companies have announced major disruptions and train cancellations.
This movement is the umpteenth episode of a social conflict that has been going on for months in the United Kingdom, and which does not only affect rail transport. Nurses, paramedics, civil servants and other professions have walked off the job numerous times since the fall for pay rises as the cost of living has soared with double-digit inflation for months.
While other less representative unions have ended their movement, Aslef and RMT have so far rejected proposals for a 4% salary increase for this year (after +4 to +5% last year), accompanied by changes in working conditions. The train drivers plan to disengage again on May 31 and June 3. The Secretary of State for Transport in charge of rail Huw Merriman estimated on Sky News that the proposal on the table was “good enough”. He also denounced the consequences of the strikes, which could disrupt the arrival of the public at the Eurovision Song Contest which is being held on Saturday in Liverpool (northern England) and the arrival of Manchester City and Manchester United supporters in London. June 3 for the football FA Cup final
2023-05-12 09:58:33
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