The movement does not weaken on this eve of the weekend. The London Underground is almost completely paralyzed on Friday, August 19, due to a strike for wages in the face of inflation at its highest in the United Kingdom, the day after a massive walkout by railway workers. The rest of the public transport network is also severely disrupted.
“There is almost no service [dans le métro de Londres] »even though “two lines offer reduced traffic” with a train approximately every fifteen minutes, said a spokeswoman for public transport operator Transport for London (TfL). Bus traffic – also overloaded due to the withdrawal of many Londoners to this mode of transport – was also disrupted.
No London Underground service at Victoria due to today’s #TubeStrike and the railway station remains closed as a ha… https://t.co/1MzGR8BjQi
While many train riders on Thursday were sympathetic to the rail strikers, some late Londoners were less lenient on Friday. “I get the message [que les grévistes] want to pass on to their bosses, but (…) London is a big city and many people need to get to work”criticizes Catherine Ondo, a 25-year-old saleswoman.
Mobilization due to inflation
The United Kingdom is experiencing these days a new salvo of massive walkouts in transport, post, ports, the biggest strike movement in decades in the face of inflation. A new day of strike is notably planned in the trains on Saturday.
Negotiations with the multitude of private rail operators in the sector are deadlocked, according to the unions. The latter have, moreover, rejected an offer of a salary increase of 8% over two years from Network Rail, a public company managing railway lines, which they accuse of being conditional on massive layoffs.
Transport Minister Grant Shapps, accused by the unions of blocking the situation, for his part criticizes the unions for refusing reforms to modernize rail. He could go through in force, he assured Friday on Sky News. “If we can’t get these modernizations in place, we’ll have to [les] impose “he said.
