In a union-friendly global environment for transportation strikes, the U.K. is set to see more.
In June, passenger-rail workers went on strike in what was considered the largest rail strike in 30 years. Now, they’re set to strike again (the largest rail strike in 30 days?). The Telegraph reports:
A strike by more than 40,000 workers at Network Rail and 14 train operating companies will go ahead next week after talks failed to resolve a bitter dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will walk out on July 27, crippling rail services across the country. The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association has announced a strike by its members at Avanti West Coast on the same day.
Mick Lynch, the RMT general secretary, said: “Strike action will take place next Wednesday as planned, and our members are more determined than ever to secure a decent pay rise, job security and good working conditions.
“Network Rail have not made any improvement on their previous pay offer, and the train companies have not offered us anything new. In fact Network Rail have upped the ante, threatening to impose compulsory redundancies and unsafe 50 per cent cuts to maintenance work if we did not withdraw our planned strike action.
“The train operating companies have put driver-only operations on the table, along with ransacking our members’ terms and conditions.
“RMT will continue to negotiate in good faith but we will not be bullied or cajoled by anyone. The Government need to stop their interference in this dispute so the rail employers can come to a negotiated settlement with us.”
Turning to the seas, dockworkers in Liverpool have signaled their willingness to strike for higher pay increases. A strike ballot will open tomorrow and close on August 15. From Reuters:
Staff from a range of sectors, including rail and aviation, have resorted to strikes as pay hikes fail to keep up with British inflation, which reached a 40-year peak of 9.1% in May.
The Unite union said more than 500 dockworkers at MDHC Container Services, part of Peel Ports, in Liverpool would be asked to vote over industrial action after a 7% pay offer was deemed inadequate and workers were not given an agreed bonus.
“Strike action will inevitably severely affect shipping and road transport as well as creating shortages in supply chains,” Unite regional officer Steven Gerrard said in a statement.
The dockworkers being balloted are involved in port operations, including loading and unloading of containers.
A representative for Peel Ports said news of the strike ballot was “extremely disappointing” especially as the shipping industry already faces supply chain disruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine.
Peel Ports had effectively increased pay by 16%-25% over the last three years at the Liverpool port, port official Richard Mitchell said in an emailed statement. The firm had also boosted sick pay, night work allowance and pension contributions, he said.
From a 1911 general strike to a partly Communist-led 1967 strike to a 1995–98 dispute, Liverpool has been the site of lengthy and nasty labor conflicts before. But as in many developed countries, labor relations have been fairly tranquil for the past few decades. For labor action to be on the table again is a sign of the confidence that organized labor has right now.
British Airways workers had approved a strike, but called it off after the airline agreed to a 13 percent pay raise, reports Reuters. Check-in staff for the U.K. flag-carrier called off a strike after receiving a satisfactory pay raise earlier this month.
Royal Mail, the British postal service, could see a strike as well. Bloomberg reports:
Employees backed industrial action over pay by the widest margin since labor laws were overhauled in 2016, with almost 98% of votes cast favoring a strike, the Communication Workers Union said in a statement Tuesday.
The CWU has yet to set dates for stoppages but said it “will not budge” until staff receive a “dignified, proper pay rise.” Management has sought to impose a 2% increase despite the UK inflation rate approaching double figures, it said. . . .
A strike by so many postal staff would deepen Britain’s labor woes during what’s been termed a summer of discontent, with rail workers, airline employees, barristers and others walking off their jobs or threatening to do so as the cost of living soars. The protests have led to snags at transport hubs and threaten to exacerbate inflation.
The message from organized labor in the U.K. is clear: Meet our demands or we will go on strike, no matter the economic impact.