As the summer heat continues to beat down on us, it’s hard to imagine the impending chill that weather forecasters warn is coming. However, it’s equally challenging to fathom the scale of chaos that transport unions are promising to unleash next week. The RMT union’s planned walkouts on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday will likely bring much of Britain’s railways to a halt, with further disruption expected to follow throughout the week. Even London’s Tube will not be spared. All in all, it is set to be a disastrous week, with many workers unable to perform their jobs thanks to the union which, shamelessly claims to be representing their interests.
Sadly, this is not the case at all. In reality, the RMT, led by Mick Lynch, is acting out of self-interest, leveraging their vital positions to hold the country to ransom. It’s the lowest-paid workers in Britain who’ll suffer the most. While the middle classes can retreat to the comforts of their homes and work remotely, teachers, doctors, nurses, and cooks don’t have that luxury. Unionized workers, who earn considerably more than them with a median wage of £44,000, are demanding another 10% pay raise when a third of rail staff already pay higher-rate tax at over £50,000 a year. It’s hard to imagine care workers on an average wage of just £17,000 sympathizing with such demands.
If there was ever a moment for the Labour Party to come to the fore and champion the cause of the disadvantaged, it’s now. However, their confusion and unwillingness to criticize the strikes is disheartening. Sir Keir Starmer’s lack of a stance on the matter is bewildering. While internal critics want him to lurch further to the Left, a more resolute leader would use this opportunity to remove the RMT’s fingers from the party’s windpipe for good. If Labour is serious about the unions, they must remember that it’s a two-way street, and they have disaffiliated club such as the RMT, so a strong, pragmatic stance is required.
The government, too, must shoulder its share of the blame for the worsening situation. In fairness to them, they’ve failed to deliver on their promises to institute minimum service requirements. The Prime Minister himself lambasted the Governor of the Bank of England in February for calling for wage restraint to control spiraling inflation. However, just four months later, Boris Johnson was warning against the same thing. The government needs to provide clearer and bolder leadership to avoid bearing the brunt of the public backlash that’s coming its way if strikes continue.
The reality is that the unions are not nearly as powerful as they once were in the 1970s when they could secure double-digit pay rises in times of single-digit inflation. Thanks to the widespread practice of remote working, the disruption caused by the strikes will be less severe than it might have been. Mr. Lynch and the RMT may feel emboldened, but they should approach this issue with a little more caution. If the government shows steely resolve in the coming weeks, all the routes from the RMT’s peak of power will inevitably lead downward.
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