OFF THE RAILS
MILLIONS of rail users face “indefinite” chaos unless unions get the pay deal they want, it was claimed last night.
RMT boss Mick Lynch said the country could be brought to a standstill by synchronised walk-outs.
2
Militant Lynch — speaking on a day only one in five services ran for train-reliant travellers — was accused of holding the nation to ransom.
His union has rejected a Network Rail offer of eight per cent on pay over two years, discounted travel, a bonus and no compulsory redundancies.
Yesterday, he blamed Transport Secretary Grant Shapps for the stalemate.
He claimed train firms had “no incentive” to settle as they were bailed out with taxpayer cash.
Read More on Strikes
He said: “It means the dispute will be prolonged indefinitely as the train companies don’t lose a penny.”
He predicted a synchronised “wave of solidarity action” in every section of the economy.
Labour remained split over the strike, with Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson insisting its MPs will not “sort out” the dispute by standing on picket lines.
Several did so, however.
Most read in Politics
Cabinet Minister James Cleverly accused the rail unions of “holding the country hostage”.
Tory MP Greg Smith, who sits on the Transpirt Select Committee, said: “The hard left unions need to wake up and realise the damage they are doing to the country, which will ultimately damage their own jobs.
"If they continue to drive people away from the railways, there will be no railways left to work for.”
Tomorrow sees another nationwide strike.
London’s Tube workers are out today.
The Department for Transport said: “All these strikes are doing is hurting those people the unions claim to represent.
Read More on The Sun
“Many of them will again be out of pocket and forced to miss a day’s work.
“We urge union bosses to do the right thing by their members and let them have their say on Network Rail’s very fair deal, which will deliver the reforms our rail system urgently needs.”
WFH joy thanks to walkouts
COMMUTERS thanked union chief Mick Lynch yesterday for letting them have a lie in.
Thousands were forced to work from home after strikes brought the nation's railways to a standstill once again.
But many celebrated at getting a day at home — saying it saved them money and also meant they could enjoy extra time in bed.
One worker said on social media: “I get a two-hour lie in. Yay train strikes!”
Another said: “I kind of love a train strike. Saves me £55. Gives me three hours of my day back. No train noise.”
2
Topics