Practice strike TFL standing replace: Weekend journey chaos looms in third walkout of the week

Union boss Mick Lynch has stated the federal government lauded rail employees as “heroes” in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, solely to deal with them as “out of fashion” now restrictions have lifted, my colleague Eleanor Sly reviews.

Speaking on BBC One’s Question Time final night time, the pinnacle of the RMT union stated: “We were lauded as heroes by Grant Shapps, they worked all the way through the pandemic, they were not furloughed, and they kept our railway and transport systems going.

“But what they’re being told now as a result of that, is that you’re out of fashion, you’re out of date, somehow the terms and conditions that we’ve negotiated over many years and we think are a fair deal…”

He added: “We think that’s what every worker in Britain, in every business should have. But what we’re faced with now is a clampdown. And it’s a deliberate clampdown by the government… and they’re using the temporary phenomenon of Covid as an excuse to rip out and strip out terms and conditions.”

The normal secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) has warned of “a long-running summer of discontent” throughout the rail community, because the union moved to poll its members on whether or not to strike over pay, situations and job safety.

“Our members at Greater Anglia are seeking basic fair treatment in the teeth of a crippling cost-of-living crisis,” Manuel Cortes stated

“Rail workers were hailed as heroes in the pandemic and now they deserve a real terms pay rise which keeps pace with inflation, rather than shouldering the burden of the Tories’ economic meltdown.

“Our demands are simple – pay which reflects the times we live in, a deal which delivers job security, and no race to the bottom on terms and conditions.

“It’s time the government changed course. Instead of making cuts across our railway the Department for Transport should either give Greater Anglia and other companies the signal to make us a reasonable offer, or ministers should come to the negotiating table and speak to us directly.

“The alternative is a long-running summer of discontent across our rail network. Make no mistake, we are preparing for all options, including coordinated strike action which would bring trains to a halt.”

More railway employees are to be balloted for strikes, with the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) serving discover to poll its members at Greater Anglia for strike motion and motion wanting strike – over pay, situations and job safety.

The union is demanding a assure of no obligatory redundancies for 2022, no unagreed modifications to phrases and situations, and a pay enhance which displays the rising value of dwelling.

Voting begins on 29 June, with the end result due in mid-July, so the earliest date strike motion may happen is 27 July.

The TSSA can be balloting its members in Network Rail, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains, Avanti West Coast, Northern, LNER, C2C, Great Western Railway (GWR) and TransPennine Express.

TSSA members are present in a lot of roles, together with station employees and managers, conductors, driver managers, practice crew managers and platform crew leaders.

An organiser of Edinburgh Pride stated it’s “really quite sad” that 1000’s are anticipated to overlook the annual occasion as a result of Saturday’s deliberate rail strikes.

Jamie Love, advertising director for Edinburgh Pride, stated his crew expect round 5,000 from in and round Scotland’s capital to attend, in contrast with greater than 12,000 folks in 2019.

“It’s quite disappointing,” Mr Love, 27, advised the PA information company. “As Pride organisers, our whole job relies on making pride accessible to those that really want to and maybe don’t have spaces like Pride anywhere near them.

“That’s the saddest and hardest part because obviously, those are the people who are going to be impacted the most. That will be really quite sad and I know that people will be really upset by that.”

The occasion, kicking off with a march at noon within the metropolis centre, is partnered with London North Eastern Railway and can be sponsored by Mr Love’s advertising company Monumental. But LNER’s common Pride pop-up at Edinburgh Waverley, town’s central station, won’t happen as a result of strike motion.

A London Tory MP, Nickie Aiken, has steered that the federal government ought to take management of Transport for London [TfL] out of mayor Sadiq Khan’s arms.

She claimed that “Sadiq has proven he is not fit to run TfL. I think it’s time that the Department for Transport looked at taking it off him. We can’t go on like this. Something has got to give.”

On Thursday, the mayor blamed the federal government for an absence of funding. He stated that this lack of funds was the explanation behind axing 22 bus routes and lowering frequencies on virtually 60 extra.

“Every few months Sadiq goes cap in hand, without any proper strategy to turn TfL’s finances around apart from cuts to services. I have run a £3bn organisation. I know what it is like to face government cuts, but you find efficiencies and new ways of working,” Ms Aiken stated.

“I have been inundated with concerns from constituents, particularly the over 60s, about the bus plans that Sadiq has got to cut their bus or change it so dramatically that they will have to get two or three buses to get to their destination.”

A senior union chief has warned that Sir Keir Starmer’s dealing with of the railway strikes “may end” the Labour get together.

Read the total story by Andrew Woodcock right here:

Louise Haigh, shadow transport secretary accused the transport secretary of “tying the hands of those at the table” and failing to achieve a decision.

She stated: “Ministers owe it to all those impacted by this serious disruption to get around the table for last ditch talks, to sort it out and avert this disruption.”

She added that Grant Shapps has tied the arms of these on the desk. “He and his department failed to give the train operating companies, a party to these talks, any mandate to negotiate whatsoever… These talks are a sham because ministers have set them up to fail.”

The RMT union chief additionally stated on Thursday that transport secretary Grant Shapps “needs to get in the room or get out of the way so we can negotiate with these companies who we have successfully struck dozens of deals with previously.”

Mick Lynch additionally praised the members of the RMT union and stated that “our members are leading the way in standing up for all working people trying to get a pay rise and some job security.”

He added: “In a modern economy, workers need to be properly rewarded for their work, enjoy good conditions and have the peace of mind that their job will not be taken away from them.”

Mr Lynch has stated that the commercial marketing campaign will proceed till a decision is reached.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps has shifted blame to the RMT union employees and stated that “the only people responsible for the massive public disruption this week is them.”

He stated that “I have had absolutely nothing to do with either the issuing of a letter from Network Rail, the employer, to the RMT — or any request to withdraw it.

“I understand that the letter makes no mention of 2,900 redundancies, but I do know it confirmed Network Rail would be introducing desperately needed reforms for the industry after the union chose strike action instead of further talks.”

He accused RMT of deflecting and urged RMT union normal secretary Mick Lynch and his members “to stop wasting time making false claims in the media and instead return to the negotiating table so an agreement can be reached.”

Mick Lynch revealed his political hero throughout an interview. “An Irish, socialist republican,” Mr Lynch stated of his hero.

Watch the video to seek out out who it’s: