- Tunisia readies for vote as incumbent Saied eyes victory
- High childcare costs in US weigh on women's employment
- US voters seek help with crushing childcare costs
- Taiwan shuts down for second day as Typhoon Krathon to land
- Supercharged storms: how climate change amplifies cyclones
- Biden official urges talks as US port strike enters second day
- Huge protests in Argentina over public university cuts
- Rally in oil prices loses steam on mixed day for global stocks
- South America treated to rare 'ring of fire' eclipse
- Biden official says port strike deal not as far as parties think
- Mexico's new president offers apology for 1968 student massacre
- Historic funding round values OpenAI at $157 billion
- Mixed US car sales in Q3 as industry hopes for post-election bounce
- Thunderstorms are a 'boiling pot' of gamma rays, scientists find
- Scientists unlock secret of 'Girl With Pearl Earring'
- Dolphins flash friendly grins when they're ready to play
- Facing backlash, EU moves to delay deforestation rules
- US private sector adds more jobs than expected in September: ADP
- Boys out of critical condition after Zurich stabbings
- Spain logs record summer tourism as inflow draws protests
- Hedi Slimane quits as Celine's artistic director
- Oil prices extend rally on Iran attack
- Spain welcomed record number of tourists this summer
- France says coming tax hikes on the wealthy to be 'temporary'
- Why are Thailand's roads so deadly?
- Oracle to invest $6.5 bn in Malaysian cloud services region
- Parkrun marks 20 years of a free weekly jog, run... or walk
- Oil extends rally after Iran attack, Hong Kong soars again
- Prostitutes, prospectors drive spread in DR Congo mpox capital
- Oil extends rally after Iran attack, Hong Kong resumes surge
- Extreme heat another form of death sentence in Texas jails
- Can music help plants grow? Study suggests sound boosts fungus
- Nike earnings drop, says turnaround will take time
- US dockworkers launch mass strike a month before election
- Iron Dome: Israel's key anti-missile shield
- Cranes stand still as US dockworkers fight for 'future'
- GM reports US sales dip, but says EVs grew
- Sheinbaum takes office as Mexico's first woman president
- Webb telescope detects carbon dioxide on Pluto's largest moon
- Stock markets slump, oil jumps on Middle East concerns
- French PM vows more taxes and spending cuts ahead of budget fight
- Germany inaugurates IBM's first European quantum data centre
- Stock markets diverge as eurozone inflation drops further
- France's richest man takes control of Paris Match magazine
- Anger meets tear gas as Nigeria hardship protests fizzle out
- US dockworkers launch mass strike month before election
- Evacuations from Lebanon: what we know
- Feathers fly at Chanel's Paris fashion return
- UAE oil giant ADNOC swoops on German chemicals firm Covestro
- Eurozone inflation falls under 2% for first time since 2021
RBGPF | -2.18% | 59.5 | $ | |
SCS | -2.56% | 12.87 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.04% | 24.93 | $ | |
CMSC | 0.04% | 24.78 | $ | |
AZN | 1.14% | 79.58 | $ | |
BTI | -1.33% | 35.97 | $ | |
RELX | -0.11% | 47.29 | $ | |
NGG | -1.85% | 68.78 | $ | |
GSK | -2.15% | 39.45 | $ | |
BP | 0.86% | 32.37 | $ | |
RIO | -0.48% | 70.82 | $ | |
BCE | -1.13% | 34.44 | $ | |
RYCEF | -0.43% | 6.9 | $ | |
JRI | -1.12% | 13.38 | $ | |
BCC | -1.33% | 139.53 | $ | |
VOD | -2.16% | 9.74 | $ |
Britain set for biggest rail strike in decades
Britain's railway network this week faces its biggest strike action in more than three decades in a row over pay as soaring inflation erodes earnings.
Rail union the RMT has said that more than 50,000 workers will take part in a three-day national strike, coinciding with major events including the Glastonbury music festival.
Schools are warning that thousands of teenagers taking national exams will also be affected.
The RMT argues that the strikes are necessary as wages have failed to keep pace with inflation, which has hit a 40-year high.
Jobs are also at risk with passenger traffic yet to fully recover after the lifting of coronavirus pandemic lockdowns.
Countries around the world are being hit by decades-high inflation as the Ukraine war and the easing of Covid restrictions fuel energy and food price hikes.
The strikes are planned for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in the biggest dispute on Britain's railway network since 1989, according to the RMT.
The union has also announced a 24-hour walkout of its members on the Tube, London's underground railway network, planned for Tuesday.
Rail operators, however, warn of disruption throughout the week -- with lines not affected by strike action nevertheless reducing services.
"Talks have not progressed as far as I had hoped and so we must prepare for a needless national rail strike and the damaging impact it will have," said Andrew Haines, chief executive of Network Rail, which looks after the country's rail tracks.
"We, and our train operating colleagues, are gearing up to run the best service we can for passengers and freight users next week despite the actions of the RMT."
The strikes will likely compound travel chaos in the aviation sector, after airlines were forced to cut flights due to staff shortages, causing long delays and frustration for passengers.
Thousands of workers were sacked in the aviation industry during the pandemic but the sector is now struggling to recruit workers as travel demand rebounds following the lifting of lockdowns.
- War of words -
The government and the RMT were engaged in a war of words over the weekend, after the union's general-secretary Mick Lynch said strikes would go ahead as "no viable settlements" had been found to the disputes.
But Transport Secretary Grant Shapps accused union bosses of refusing to meet for further talks on Saturday and instead attending a protest march against the rising cost of living.
Shapps said the disruption would cause "misery" and force hospital patients to cancel appointments and pupils sitting exams would face extra pressures of having to change their travel plans.
"By carrying out this action, the RMT is punishing millions of innocent people, instead of calmly discussing the sensible and necessary reforms we need to make in order to protect our rail network," he added.
Modernising the rail network was necessary, as travel use changes, including after the pandemic, he said.
But Lynch accused Shapps of fabrication, insisting talks with train operating companies had broken up without agreement on Thursday night, and no further negotiations had been scheduled.
Contrary to government claims, no pay offer had been made and the union had received no response to its push for a pay increase of 7.1 percent in December, in line with inflation at the time, he said.
"If there's not a settlement, we will continue our campaign," he told Sky News on Sunday, predicting more strikes as other transport unions balloted their members.
The RMT was not looking for special treatment but a deal was needed as members had not had a pay rise for several years, he added.
"If we don't play our hand, thousands of our members will lose their jobs" and safety on the network would be compromised, he said.
The government was being "just as ruthless as P&O but they haven't got agency workers to step in", he added, referring to the mass sacking of staff at the ferry operator earlier this year.
H.Cho--CPN