Labour backs union plot for ‘coordinated’ walkouts on railways, roads, Tubes AND airports

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Labour today came out in favour of June’s crippling rail strikes as Britain’s unions vowed to bring the country to a standstill in a ‘summer of discontent’ not seen since the 1926 General Strike with railway and Tube workers set to be bolstered by 155,000 comrades at airports, Royal Mail and BT.

Shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy revealed she supported the strikes by rail workers in the coming weeks – breaking ranks with Labour’s leadership including Sir Keir Starmer, who has dodged the issue so far. 

Union barons stand accused of ‘holding the country to ransom’ having vowed to work together to ensure the disruption they cause in the coming weeks and months ‘will be unparalleled’ and timed to cause the ‘maximum possible disruption’ to Britons as they push for 10%-plus pay rises.

More than 50,000 members of the hard-left Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) working for London Underground and 13 rail operators will down tools on June 21, 23 and 25 – the largest walkouts since 1989. The strike is pencilled in for three days – but the disruption will last for at least six days.

Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Ms Nandy said: ‘We want to avoid the strikes and we’re on the public’s side on this. We’re also on the rail workers’ side. They’re dealing with the same pressures that everyone else is – the cost of food, the cost of soaring inflation rates, taxes going up, and they’re really struggling to make ends meet.

‘They’re the people that we went out and applauded during the pandemic because they kept our services going and they’ve seen their pay in real terms attacked again and again over the last decade.’ Several other MPs broke ranks last night, saying they backed the RMT ‘100 per cent’ and said the Government is forcing ‘the British working class to beg’.

Amid problems across the Tube this morning, Unite has said 1,000 of its members would also strike on the Tube on June 21, which will see most of the network shut down and millions of Londoners struggling to commute or forced to work from home.

Britons suffered a ‘half term from hell’ last week after major disruption at airports due to shortages of staff. Today it emerged that baggage handlers, check-in staff and ground staff could choose to strike over pay and conditions this summer.

And more than 150,000 union members working for key services such as the Royal Mail and BT could choose to strike within the next week. 

Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the TSSA union, said: ‘The disruption will be unparalleled. I don’t think we will have seen anything like it since the 1926 General Strike. That’s the last time the three unions came out together. And we will coordinate our action. It’ll be a summer of discontent no doubt. If it comes to it, I’ll have a strategy in place that causes the maximum possible disruption.’ 

But Karl McCartney, Tory MP for Lincoln, told the Telegraph that unions are ‘holding the country to ransom’ and their left-wing bosses are ‘harking back to an age when they had a purpose and a reason to be hard-nosed and rough and ready with their pugnaciousness. But those days are long-gone’.

The Government has been slammed for failing to keep its manifesto pledge and bring in legislation that will ensure a minimum train service of around 30% during strikes, which is already mandatory in France and Spain. 

Strikes could soon be widened beyond public transport, to include: 

Unite and GMB union members are balloting check-in staff and ground staff based at Heathrow while baggage handlers at Stansted could also strike after rejecting a four per cent pay increase;115,000 members of the Communication Workers Union working for Royal Mail will be balloted for industrial action on June 15;On the same day 40,000 BT workers from the same union will also asked if they want to walk out in what would be the first national strike at the former state-owned firm since the 1980s;And this Autumn 1.4 million local government workers, in schools and councils, could also strike if they do not get a £2,000 pay rise in a 11.1% pay deal set to be submitted by Friday; 

Commuters will be encouraged to work from home during the train strikes as contingency plans may involve complete overnight shutdowns – as the biggest rail strikes for more than 30 years are planned for June. 

Mick Lynch, who enjoys £125,000-a-year in pay and benefits as chief of the hard-left Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), dismissed public anger on Wednesday over plans for 50,000 rail workers across the country to strike on June 21, 23 and 25 – the largest walkouts since 1989 – warning that more strikes would follow if a row over pay and job cuts was not resolved.

The strikes will disrupt work, school and events for millions of people, with students who miss their GCSE exams set to be given a grade that takes ‘circumstances beyond their control’ into consideration, it has emerged.

Ministers and Network Rail are now putting contingency plans in place which would see freight trains prioritised over passenger services to prevent blackouts in some areas and ensure supermarket shelves and petrol forecourts remain stocked. 

Multiple-day strikes could lead to lights going out in places due to freight services to power stations being hit, ministers have been told. 

Although a blanket ban will not be issued by train operators, passengers will be advised to ‘not travel unless it is absolutely necessary’ despite three in four adults in Britain now travelling to work at some point during the week – up from two-thirds a month ago.

The strike is another blow to travellers who are already facing a summer of chaos at airports due to staff shortages. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson led the calls to get people back into the office following the Covid pandemic, having claimed recently that working from home is not working.

Mr Johnson told the Daily Mail: ‘My experience of working from home is you spend an awful lot of time making another cup of coffee and then, you know, getting up, walking very slowly to the fridge, hacking off a small piece of cheese, then walking very slowly back to your laptop and then forgetting what it was you’re doing.’

The contingency plans include a total shutdown of passenger rail travel before 7.30 am or after 6.30 pm during the three days of industrial action, planned for the 21, 23 and 25 June. 

However, the network is likely to be a slimline basic service affected from June 21 to 26 – with priority given to freight services, reports The Times.

A senior rail source told the newspaper: ‘We are managing people’s expectations down very firmly. Services will be extremely limited and we’ll need to massively reduce hours of operation while keeping freight moving.’ 

Meanwhile, union barons were accused of a ‘strike first, negotiate second’ approach on Tuesday after ordering crippling walkouts despite being offered a pay increase for their members.

Network Rail negotiators offered the hard-Left RMT a pay rise of at least 2 per cent, it can be revealed.

The offer is not far off the 3 per cent pay rise ministers last year gave to NHS staff who were on the front line of the battle against Covid.

Negotiators said RMT workers could get an even bigger increase if the union agreed to start discussions on modernising work practices.

But rather than continue talks, on Tuesday the union’s bosses ordered tens of thousands of members to strike on June 21, 23 and 25.

Ministers and Network Rail are putting contingency plans in place which would see freight trains prioritised over passenger services to prevent blackouts in some areas and ensure supermarket shelves and petrol forecourts remain stocked.

Multiple-day strikes could lead to lights going out in places due to freight services to power stations being hit, ministers have been told.

The strikes have left Britons furious as it will effect a series of upcoming events this summer, including the Glastonbury Festival between June 22 and June 26. That week will also see England play New Zealand in a Test match in Leeds, the British Athletics Championships in Manchester, and gigs in London‘s Hyde Park by Sir Elton John (June 24) and The Rolling Stones (June 25).

There will also be a Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in London on June 24 and 25 and it is Armed Forces Day on June 25.

National Rail has been forced to suspend the sales of advance tickets for the strike days until emergency timetables have been finalised – meaning the UK’s railway network, already handed £16billion of taxpayers’ money to keep it going in the pandemic, is being starved of more funds.

And South Western Railway, which runs services to some of Britain’s busiest stations including Waterloo and Clapham Junction, today laid bare the impact the strike will have on the 1.6million passengers that use their trains each day.

Furious concert-goers are now rightly asking ‘how the f**k do we get to Glastonbury’ as they lashed out at Lynch on Twitter over his ‘chaotic’ and ‘nonsense’ plot. But it is not clear what those close to Lynch make of the walkouts – such as his daughter Connie, who partied at Reading Festival in 2019. 

One reveller tweeted: ‘Rail strike on June 25 when I’m darting from London to Sheffield to Bristol to Glastonbury is a nightmare… what the hell?!’. Another said: ‘Train strikes at the end of the month to affect people going to Glastonbury. I’ve come back to absolute chaos and nonsense’. A third posted: ‘Union scumbags now called rail strike over Glastonbury weekend’. 

One reveller raged: ‘Ouch @GWRhelp @networkrailwest train strike during @glastonbury that’s not going to end well for anyone #railstrike’. Another called the train strike ‘crazy’, while one person said they would cancel their trip: ‘Can’t go now. No trains not risking it’.

And seeming to sum up the mood of the nation, one person tweeted: ‘Feeling sad after all that is going on in the world that the rail unions want to spoil Glastonbury for people looking forward to it for three years – by stopping trains – we need more joy in the UK, not strikes’.

Lynch said: ‘Railway workers have been treated appallingly and, despite our best efforts in negotiations, the rail industry, with the support of the Government, has failed to take their concerns seriously.

‘We have a cost-of-living crisis, and it is unacceptable for railway workers to either lose their jobs or face another year of a pay freeze when inflation is at 11.1% and rising. 

‘Our union will now embark on a sustained campaign of industrial action which will shut down the railway system.’

However, Rail Delivery Group chairman Steve Montgomery called the strikes ‘needless and damaging’, and Health Secretary Sajid Javid said union leaders should ‘act like adults’ and come to a ‘sensible solution’ to disputes in the industry.

Mr Javid told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘When it comes to these strikes, it is very disappointing what the unions have said, because it’s not just going to cause misery for the travellers, but it’s actually, I think, the wrong outcome for the workers as well.

‘Because anyone working in this industry, any industry for that matter, you want it to be sustainable for the long term. It’s not possible to keep giving it the same level of support it got during the pandemic.’

Put to him that the Government could legislate to ward off the strikes, he said: ‘There are of course options for the Government. And I know that my colleague, the Secretary of State for Transport, will be looking at all options.

‘But the most important thing right now would be for the union leaders to get around the table with the industry leaders and just basically act like adults and just to come to a sensible solution.’

Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines said the organisation is ‘doing everything we can’ to avoid the strike action.

‘There are two weeks until the first strike is planned. We will use this time to keep talking to our unions and, through compromise and common sense on both sides, we hope to find a solution and avoid the damage that strike action would cause all involved,’ he said.

Rail freight could also be hit, resulting in empty shelves and a petrol shortage. Ministers have been warned that multiple-day strikes could lead to lights going out in places due to trains being unable to supply power stations.

Downing Street has said the Government remains committed to introducing minimum service standards on the railways but indicated legislation was not expected before this month’s planned strikes, despite being in their 2019 manifesto.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘We are keeping all options on the table. Minimum services standards are something the Government is committed to.

‘I am not aware of any plans for legislating on that in the next few weeks. Given the scale of these strikes that are imposed, simply introducing one single piece of legislation would not necessarily mitigate against all the damage.’

The spokesman added: ‘First and foremost, it would not be right for the unions to skip the first step in this process – which is to negotiate – and go straight to strike action.’

But critics have urged them to ‘get a grip’. Tory chair of the Commons Transport Commitee, Huw Merriman, called for a minimum service during strikes, like in the EU, where around a third of trains must run during industrial action. He said: ‘The unions have fought very hard. And will not back down. But the Government committed to bringing a minimum service obligation – then it may need that legislation in place to strengthen its hand. We regard the rail as an essential service’.

Travel guru Paul Charles said: ‘It’s looking like a summer meltdown with problems on roads, railways and at airports. Someone has got to get a grip on protecting what used to be the Great British Getaway. At this rate, the whole of the summer is going to be causing real hardship because it will be too unpredictable to travel. So that’s why we need tough decisions, not dithering.’

NR is also drawing up contingency plans, with the strikes expected to cause disruption to services for six days, from the first walkout on Tuesday June 21 to the day after the third strike.

Fewer than one in five trains are likely to run, and only between 7am and 7pm, probably only on main lines.

Industry insiders point to Drax power station in North Yorkshire, which can only stockpile supplies sufficient for two or three days and services millions of homes.

Tesco and Puma Energy, which supplies garage forecourts, have also raised concerns about supply lines.

A Government source said the RMT union’s actions were ‘utter folly’ and would ‘hugely inconvenience’ the travelling public and alienate those whose ticket purchases ‘ultimately support RMT jobs’.

The source added: ‘The RMT appears to believe that the way you engage in meaningful negotiation is to put a gun to the head of an industry still struggling from the aftershock of the pandemic.’

It is another blow to travellers, who are already facing a summer of chaos at airports due to staff shortages and some airlines overbooking flights, and UK infrastructure as petrol prices hit £2 a litre this week.

The strikes, which start on the Tuesday and run until Saturday, will cause travel chaos for people going to a number of major events, including concerts, test match cricket and the Glastonbury festival – which starts on June 22 and runs until June 26, with many festival-goers planning to travel to the site by train.

The strikes could also cause disruption for voters in the two upcoming by-elections, with both seats being decided on June 23, and GCSE students sitting exams this summer.

Other events that week include England playing New Zealand in a test match in Leeds, the British athletics championships in Manchester, and gigs in London’s Hyde Park by Elton John (June 24) and the Rolling Stones (June 25).

Rail chiefs were last night scrambling to put in place contingency measures which would see freight trains prioritised over passenger services to prevent blackouts in some areas and ensure supermarket shelves and petrol forecourts remain stocked.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said railway workers had been ‘treated appallingly’ and ‘despite our best efforts in negotiations, the rail industry with the support of the government has failed to take their concerns seriously’.

Over the last decade, the median earnings for train drivers have risen 39 per cent, far above the national average of 23 per cent, or 15 per cent for nurses. Train drivers on average earn £59,000, compared with £31,000 for nurses and £41,000 for police officers. Rail workers can also retire at 62, earlier than civil servants, nurses and teachers.

Tory MP Greg Smith, who sits on the Commons transport committee, said: ‘This is our first proper summer of people getting back on and enjoying great sporting, musical and cultural occasions only to find that the summer’s going to be wrecked by dinosaur action from a different era holding the country to ransom.

‘It’s time the RMT woke up, understood the damage they’re causing to people’s lives and livelihoods and got on with providing the service that the nation relies on.’

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps described the announcement as ‘incredibly disappointing’ and urged the union to return to talks with the rail industry in a bid to prevent ‘driving passengers from the rail network for good’.

The transport watchdog said it is ‘passengers who suffer most’ and said it is vital both parties continue talks to prevent uncertainty.

It comes as the RMT also announced another 24-hour strike on London Underground in a separate row over jobs and pensions.

Tube workers will strike for a second time this month on June 21 to coincide with the first rail strike, threatening widespread travel chaos.

Meanwhile, hundreds of check-in and ground staff employed by British Airways at Heathrow began voting on strike action yesterday.

Members of the Unite and GMB unions are being balloted in a dispute over pay which could cause yet more chaos at the UK’s busiest airport during the summer holiday period.

Travellers continue to experience delays and cancelled flights at Britain’s airports, with thousands of families left stranded abroad.

The union said it will be the biggest strike on the railways since 1989.

Union members voted overwhelmingly for action last month in growing rows over pay and job losses.

The union wants a guarantee that no compulsory redundancies will be made as ministers ask the industry to make £2billion in savings after being bailed out during the pandemic and passenger numbers stabilising at around 75 per cent post-pandemic.

It also wants pay rises for members in line with the RPI rate of inflation – currently 11.1 per cent.

The RMT said rail staff who worked through the pandemic were facing pay freezes and hundreds of job cuts.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: ‘Railway workers have been treated appallingly and despite our best efforts in negotiations, the rail industry with the support of the government has failed to take their concerns seriously.

‘We have a cost-of-living crisis, and it is unacceptable for railway workers to either lose their jobs or face another year of a pay freeze when inflation is at 11.1 per cent and rising.

‘Our union will now embark on a sustained campaign of industrial action which will shut down the railway system.

‘Rail companies are making at least £500m a year in profits, while fat cat rail bosses have been paid millions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

‘This unfairness is fuelling our members anger and their determination to win a fair settlement.

‘RMT is open to meaningful negotiations with rail bosses and ministers, but they will need to come up with new proposals to prevent months of disruption on our railways.’

Union boss Mick Lynch was pictured enjoying his journey on the new Elizabeth Line after his RMT union voted to strike across much of the capital’s underground network on Monday, causing widespread chaos in London with most zone 1 stations closed

The June 21 strike will see 40,000 workers from Network Rail, which is in charge of infrastructure, and 13 train companies covering most of the country walkout for 24 hours.

In addition 10,000 London Underground workers will strike, also bringing most of the capital’s transport network to a grinding halt.

The 40,000 mainline workers will then strike again on June 23 and 25.

A senior rail industry source said that calling the strikes every other day that week was designed to have maximum impact.

They said: ‘It completely screws the network on the day of strikes and for most of the next days when strikes aren’t happening.

‘Three days, midnight to midnight, basically screws the entire week.’ This is because signallers and other critical workers often start 12-hour shifts at 8pm or 10pm.

But because they won’t turn up on strike days, many won’t be in place to get the railways running again the following morning on non-strike days.

The source added: ‘What it means now is that we will have to do the contingency planning for vital freight routes that we were hoping to avoid.

‘We’ll work with the freight industry over the next two weeks to identify critical routes where freight needs to be delivered and reschedule them into the timetable, prioritising freight over passenger services.’ It means even more passenger trains face being taken out of service.

Ministers have been told that multiple-day strikes could lead to lights going out in places due to freight services being hit.

Industry insiders point to Drax power station in North Yorkshire, which can only stockpile supplies sufficient for two or three days and services millions of homes.

Tesco and Puma Energy, which supplies garage forecourts, have also raised concerns about supply lines.

Network Rail chief Andrew Haines said: ‘We continue to meet with our trades unions to discuss their pay concerns and we’re doing everything we can to avoid strike action on the railway.

‘We know that the cost of living has increased and we want to give our people a pay rise, but the RMT must recognise we are a public body and any pay increase has to be affordable for taxpayers and passengers.

‘Travel habits have changed forever and the railway must change as well.

‘We cannot expect to take more than our fair share of public funds, and so we must modernise our industry to put it on a sound financial footing for the future.

It comes as students who miss their GCSEs because of rail strikes could still be given a grade that takes ‘circumstances beyond their control’ into consideration.

The Joint Council for Qualifications, which includes the eight biggest exam boards, including AQA, said yesterday: ‘In circumstances where a candidate cannot sit their exam through circumstances beyond their control, then special consideration will apply.’

It added that a grade may be awarded under special consideration if the pupil completes at least one part of the exam.

The council has advised: ‘Students should speak to their school or college who will make an application for special consideration.’