27 APRIL 2023 | NEWS
A new strike by rail workers has been announced for next month, following a rejection of the latest pay offer from railway operators by the RMT transport union.
The strike is anticipated to have a significant impact, given its timing on 13 May – the day when the Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Liverpool.
The new strike action comes alongside action called by Aslef – the train drivers’ union – for 12 and 31 May, as well as on 3 June, which is the day of the FA Cup Final.
The RMT said that it could not accept the renewed pay offer, as this would deny the opportunity for further strike action in the future. It is understood that the offer had been aimed at ending the long-running dispute between union bosses and railway operators.
The General Secretary of the RMT, Mick Lynch, said that the train companies had “reneged on their original proposals and torpedoed these negotiations”.
But Steve Montgomery, the Chair of the Rail Delivery Group, which represents the railway operators, denied this claim, saying that the RMT was “negotiating in bad faith, again denying their members a say on a fair pay deal, needlessly disrupting the lives of millions of passengers, and undermining the viability of an industry critical to Britain’s economy”.
The offer to rail workers is understood to have involved a 5% pay increase, with another to follow in the year after, but it also included a “dispute-resolution process” that would involve changes to working practices.
A new ballot among members has now been announced by the RMT for strike action to cover a further six months.
Meanwhile, planned industrial action announced by the RCN – the trade union representing nurses – has been cut short by one day after the Government succeeded in winning a legal challenge to say it was unlawful.
The strike action, which had been planned for between 30 April and 2 May, has now been curtailed after its final day was ruled unlawful owing to the expiration of the existing strike mandate. It is understood that the RCN’s legal delegation failed to appear before the High Court.
Pat Cullen, the General Secretary of the RCN, said it was “the darkest day in this dispute so far”. She added: “They’ve won their legal battle today – but what this has led to is they’ve lost nursing, and they’ve lost the public.
“They’ve taken the most trusted profession through the courts, by the least trusted people. And what a day for nursing, what a day for patients. And what an indictment on this Government.”
Some nurses who are also involved in political activism have reacted with great anger to the news, with one saying – in a communication seen by Wolves – “time to buy some explosives #operationguyfawkes”.
But Health Secretary Steve Barclay said in a statement that the Government was not prepared to “stand by and let plainly unlawful strike action go ahead”.
He added: “Both the NHS and my team tried to resolve this without resorting to legal action, but unfortunately, following a request from NHS Employers, we took this step with regret to protect nurses by ensuring they are not asked to take part in an unlawful strike.”
Mr Barclay further stated that the legal ruling should serve as an impetus for the remaining days of strike action to be officially called off as well, saying: “We now call on [the RCN] to do the right thing by patients and agree derogations for their strike action on 30 April and 1 May.”
The offer is understood to have involved a 5% pay rise, along with a one-off amount for 2022/23. Some other medical trade unions, such as the RCM representing midwives, had previously opted to accept the new deal.
Further press announcements by the trade unions involved are anticipated in the coming days.
