Whenever strike action is mentioned, Government ministers and right-wing newspapers clamour over each other to condemn greedy workers and selfish, irresponsible Union barons. Industrial action is undoubtedly disruptive – that is kind of the point. Yes, I can sympathise with other workers who might be inconvenienced for a couple of days; Yes, I absolutely believe that strike action should be a last resort, but when members take the tough decision to withdraw their labour, they have often tried unsuccessfully to negotiate in many other ways – which usually go unmentioned in the Daily Mail and the like.
One paper led today with a story about supermarket shelves being empty if the latest planned action goes ahead. “Despite Network Rail working to prioritise national important freight lines, ‘i’ understands that there is still a genuine risk the strike could lead to empty supermarket shelves.” The article went on to state that there could also be considerable travel disruption to major events such as the Glastonbury festival and a cricket match, quoting the director-general Maggie Simpson as saying the strikes could be ‘as bad as it gets’.
Later in the article, the journalist quotes Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who called the proposed strikes as wanton and reckless. The 80-line piece doesn’t mention anywhere the reason for the action. Of course, most of the narrative revolves around pay – one Tory journalist tweeted that train drivers earn on average £58,000 a week. Presumably, he meant per year, but what people earn (or might earn), should have no bearing on whether they are entitled to exercise their right to withdraw labour or should be forced to work in unsafe conditions. This is particularly important when the striking member’s jobs involve carrying the general public around the country in huge numbers. It’s not just the striker’s safety. A separate shorter piece in the Independent did begin by saying Union bosses had identified three issues – pay, redundancies, and safety. It stopped short of giving any details but again referred to the possible impact on Glastonbury. The Express headline asked, “How much do Train drivers earn?” It quoted Carole Malone, who said the strike will clobber working people. Train staff are working people too. The Express also says that although the strikes might not go ahead, and it is unclear how many services will be impacted or for how long, millions of people could suffer. Beneath the heading about pay, the article starts by saying drivers earn on average £54,000 per year, depending on who they work for and which part of the country they are located in. The pay could be closer to £39,000. One Rail company’s salary starts at £23,000.
Below a string of adverts and dozens of lines below bold letters saying ‘Joe Bloggs slams rail union bosses’ they finally tell us what the strike is about. They concede the main concern is job cuts – they don’t bother to explain the impact those cuts might have on Glasto-goers.
The RMT Union is also concerned that staff who worked throughout the pandemic, now face a pay freeze amid the growing cost of living crisis. 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.” He called his members facing another pay freeze or losing their jobs when inflation is at 11% unacceptable.
The rail companies have made millions over the pandemic and their fat cat bosses have received healthy sums too. The RMT says that the Train operating companies have subjected their members to multi-year pay freezes and plan to cut thousands of jobs which they say will make the railways unsafe. They all have concerns about their pensions.
It is reckless and irresponsible of the government and their mouthpieces in the right-wing press to always jump on the worker’s greed bandwagon while always ignoring the greed of the rail bosses. They talk about the impact on members of the public because they want opinions on their side, not because they care about the public. If the staff responsible for the safety of passengers raise concerns, then the bosses, the papers, and the government have a duty of care to listen. The RMT Union are clear that they wish to avoid action by negotiating.
Jason Holyhead 