The country is set for unprecedented industrial action this summer
Thousands of workers are set to strike across the region in the coming months in what has been branded the summer of discontent.
Unions warned the announcement amounts to a real terms pay cut as inflation rose to 9.4pc. One union leader has warned of strike action in response to the public sector pay deal, with members of the Royal College of Nursing in England to be balloted on industrial action.Railways More strikes on the railways are coming across the region in the coming months due to an ongoing row over pay, job security and better working conditions among members of the RMT and ASLEF unions.
Speaking after the announcement of more days of strikes, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "The rail industry and the Government need to understand that this dispute will not simply vanish. They need to get serious about providing an offer on pay which helps deal with the cost-of-living crisis, job security for our members and provides good conditions at work.
Speaking to the M.E.N, Steve explained why he took the decision to take industrial action. "For most people it's not about pay, it's about conditions, it's about redundancies," he said. Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan added: "We don’t want to go on strike – strikes are the result of a failure of negotiation – and this union, since I was elected general secretary in 2011, has only ever been on strike, until this year, for a handful of days. We don’t want to inconvenience passengers, not least because our friends and families use public transport too, and we believe in building trust in the railways in Britain, and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike.
"Train drivers, such as those Aslef represent, earn, on average, just under £60,000 – more than twice the UK average and significantly more than the very workers who will be most impacted by these strikes despite stumping up £600 per household to keep the railway running throughout the pandemic. The action follows three months of negotiations with bosses. The GMB union says some pay offers have been 'self-funded' – meaning workers would have to sacrifice other terms to pay for them. A ballot saw 96pc of union members vote for strike action.
"The overwhelming strike mandate shows workers' take on the miserly offer clearly. We have our deckchairs ready for the pickets. Hopefully the company will listen and get back around the table with a fair offer."Royal Mail Disputes over pay against a backdrop of rising inflation have also consumed Royal Mail postal workers - who have now voted in favour of strike action.
The CWC described Royal Mail’s initial offering of a 2pc pay rise as a 'serious real-terms wage cut' due to inflation and the effects of the cost of living crisis. The organisation said it had recently offered a 'deal worth up to 5.5pc for CWU grade colleagues.' Royal Mail said it has been unable to engage 'in any meaningful discussion' with CWU representatives and described the vote announcement as 'disappointing' but stressed that contingency plans in the event of industrial action will be in place if necessary.
"In the event of industrial action, we have contingency plans to minimise customer disruption and will work to keep people, businesses and the country connected." Stark figures show a backlog of about 58,000 cases waiting to be heard in court across England, with victims and defendants left waiting years for justice.
"But when that does happen, people need help from properly qualified people working in a fully funded system, and that is not happening." According to the CBA the median income for junior barristers is £12,200, which is below minimum wage. Barristers' incomes have reduced in real terms by 28 per cent over the last two decades, they say.
The low-cost airline’s flight attendants in the popular holiday destination are demanding a 40 per cent increase to their basic salaries. Although the dispute involves crew flying out of Spain, they frequently operate services to the UK.
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