The decision by the UK’s biggest rail workers’ union to stage strikes over the Christmas period is “incredibly disappointing,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman has said.
The Rail, Maritime, and Transport union (RMT) confirmed on Tuesday that its 40,000 members will walk out from 6 p.m. on Dec. 24 until Dec. 27, one day after the union urged workers to reject the latest pay offer from rail companies.
In reaction, Downing Street urged the RMT to take the pay offer seriously to prevent further disruption over Christmas.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “It’s incredibly disappointing that the RMT has chosen to take further damaging action instead of recognising this is a generous and fair deal that could have brought this dispute to an end.
“We believe the RMT need to take this offer seriously. We’ve been fair and reasonable in our approach. We’ve facilitated the sort of offer the RMT has been calling for, a fair pay rise with no compulsory redundancy.
“These additional strikes scheduled over Christmas mean the RMT risk driving away more people from the railways at a time when passengers and businesses should be taking advantage of this festive period. That will only add to the railways’ major funding issues that have to be put on a sustainable footing.”
He said the deal offered contains no compulsory redundancies until 2025, a 5 percent pay rise this year, and 4 percent from January.
Government minister Nick Gibb also urged the union to call off the strike. He said: “It’s inconveniencing people up and down the country in the run-up to Christmas. I think it’s a very poor way of conducting negotiations.”
“We would urge the unions to talk to employers, to keep negotiating, and not to hold the country to ransom, particularly in December as we get nearer to Christmas,” he told GB News.
‘Complete Shambles’
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said on Tuesday that he does not want strikes to go ahead before Christmas but argued his members were being forced into action by the government not allowing train operators a proper mandate to negotiate on pay and conditions.He told BBC Radio 4’s “Today” programme: “We regret the inconvenience that we are causing but this inconvenience is being caused by the government who are running the playbook and the strategy for the companies and directing what’s going on. They’ve held back even these paltry offers to the last minute so they know it’s very difficult to deal with these offers.”
He argued wages are being lowered against soaring inflation, which passed 11 percent, while conditions are being “ripped up.”
“It would be foolish of unions not to coordinate themselves in response to those attacks,” he said.
The main opposition Labour Party blamed the latest escalation on the Conservative government.
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner told “BBC Breakfast,” “This is a militant government that is not dealing with the issues and not resolving this strike action and it’s frustrating.”
“It’s a complete shambles of the government’s making and they really need to get off their hands and resolve this,” she said.
Widespread Disruptions
British businesses have expressed concerns about the disruption during the typically highly-profitable festive period.Kate Nicholls, chief executive of industry body UKHospitality, said the rail strikes will be “hugely damaging,” adding, “We’re continuing to urge all parties involved in the negotiations to reach a solution imminently to avoid these harmful strikes.”
According to data released by the Office for National Statistics last week, 13 percent of British companies think they were affected by industrial action during October, with train strikes likely impacting companies the most.
The most impacted businesses were those in the sector titled “wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles.” More than 18 percent of these companies said they were impacted.
Accommodation and food companies were the second worst hit by the strikes, according to the survey.
In addition to the rail sector, other public services in the UK have also been hit with industrial action.
The National Health Service is under pressure as ambulance workers in three unions voted last week to strike over pay and concerns about staffing levels. The Royal College of Nursing is also staging two strikes this month and junior doctors are set to be balloted on industrial action.
Meanwhile, more than 33,000 firefighters and control room staff started voting on Dec. 5 on whether to take industrial action over a 5 percent pay rise, which the Fire Brigades Union said is “derisory.”
