Two shutdowns for the price of a one-day strike
The Independent|September 25, 2022
Could the rail unions’ Brexit bond with the new transport secretary solve the bitter pay dispute, wonders
Simon Calder
Two shutdowns for the price of a one-day strike

Say what you like about British productivity but one-day rail strikes have never yielded as much as they are this autumn. You can find proof at London Waterloo station. “Strike action Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 October,” warn posters being put up at the UK’s busiest railway terminus. “Only travel if absolutely necessary.”

The RMT union, which is calling 40,000 workers out on strike for each of the next two Saturdays, will be delighted with this two-for-the-price-of-one deal. The main rail union vowed to “bring the railway to an effective standstill” by striking. And now it seems to be getting two effective standstills, wrecking the travel plans of millions, for the loss of just a single day’s pay.

These 24-hour walk-outs mean late teams will not sign on for Saturday overnight shifts, leaving signal systems unstaffed and train movements incomplete at the resumption of play on Sunday.

This story is from the September 25, 2022 edition of The Independent.

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This story is from the September 25, 2022 edition of The Independent.

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