Workers in the British railway sector start this Tuesday four days of strike this week demanding a salary increasel, which will mean the near paralysis of this important means of transport in the United Kingdom.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transportation (RMT) Union second 48 hours stop -this Tuesday and Wednesday- and then again on Friday and Saturday.
It is estimated that only 20% of rail services will operate during these measures of force, that the sector seconded after the negotiations with the railway company Network Rail failed. This company He has asked the population to avoid traveling unless absolutely necessary.
Unemployment also coincides with the disorder than bad weather, Due to the heavy snowfall in recent days, it has caused the different means of transport in the country.
The Network Rail company has offered a 5% wage increase this year, below the 7% demanded by the union, as UK inflation has already reached 11.1%.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch told the BBC that the Conservative government is “deliberately obstructing” the means to reach an agreement with the union.
The government’s payment offer
Lynch added that the government’s latest payment offer, rejected on Monday by the union, is “well below inflation” and it is “totally unacceptable. Our members do not want to accept the offer… the value of the deal is not high enough.”
Though is “optimistic” that an agreement can be reachedOr, Lynch said the government needs to help “facilitate” a deal.
“There is an opportunity to find solutions, but I fear the government is preventing that from happening. They are deliberately obstructing that deal,” added.
For his part, Andrew Haines, chief executive of Network Rail, told the BBC that it is “difficult to see hope in the negotiations on the rail strikes.”
In addition to this strike, there are more planned this week by other sectors, such as the postal strike tomorrow and Thursday, while the nurses will go on strike on Thursday.
At the end of the week there are measures of force of the employees who work in the maintenance of motorways and of the attendants of the suitcases in the London airport of Heathrow.