On August 18, workers of Network Rail, several train companies, the London Underground and buses in the capital will begin the latest round of strike due to disputes over pay, jobs and conditions.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union will strike on both Thursday and Saturday. Meanwhile, London Tube workers will strike on Friday and London United bus drivers plan to strike from Friday to Saturday.
Amid the strike, travel will be hampered as rail and bus services will be substantially reduced.
“Network Rail have not made any improvement on their previous pay offer and the train operating companies have not offered us anything new,” the RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch said, as quoted by The Guardian. “Tube bosses are having secret negotiations with the government about cutting costs by slashing jobs and undermining working conditions and pensions."
In turn, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps unveiled a 16-point plan to fight rail unions strikes.
“We support the right to strike. But we must reset the balance. We must protect essential services. And we must make it harder for trade unionists in secure, well-paid jobs to victimize other, much less fortunate workers – by, for instance, stopping them getting to work,” Grant Shapps said.
Among the 16 measures, revealed in full for the first time, is the lifting of a ban on the Government using emergency powers to block strikes that pose a national emergency.
There have been six days of walkouts by UK rail staff across the summer 2022 with no rail strikes planned beyond August 20, 2022.
The plan includes lifting the ban on the Government using emergency powers to block strikes that pose a national emergency.
The UK economy is forecast to enter recession from the fourth quarter of the year, according to the Bank of England.
The annual inflation in the UK in July accelerated to 10.1% from 9.4% a month earlier, marking a record high, since 1982, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Wednesday.