A series of transport strikes continue paralyzed the city London Since Thursday. On that day, 40,000 workers in the rail sector began a new nationwide strike, which has been repeated since June. Many stations remained uninhabited or closed. On Friday, circulation was only partially restored and the strike will be repeated this Saturday, preventing trains from leaving until Sunday.
On Friday, the strike spread to the subway network, commuter trains and more than 60 bus lines. The traffic jam is back and millions of Londoners have chosen to work on foot, by bike or even from home. Transport for London (TFL), the body responsible for transport in the capital, plans to remove more than fifty lockers at stations and revise the pension plan downwards to save more than €100 million a year by 2025. “Some brutal measures were taken unilaterally”, according to the mayor, Sadik Khan, Londoners were “stuck in the middle of this crossfire” while accusing the government of “trying to provoke” the unions. Liz Truss, a favorite of Britain’s new prime minister, has warned that the country will not allow “to be taken hostage by militant unionists”.
The unmet increase in the cost of living is fueling discontent and social tensions that permeate all sectors and predict a stormy autumn. In the case of railways, the unions rejected an offer of an 8% salary increase for two years, subject to a substantial number of layoffs. In practice, this is a pay cut, as annual inflation reached 10.1% in July and will reach 13% by the end of the year, according to Bank of England forecasts.
strike wave
Loss of purchasing power leads to poverty in millions of households. The demand for workers increases in parallel with inflation. Those considering going on strike now include garbage collectors, lawyers, mail carriers, teachers, dockers, undertakers, civil servants, airport ground staff, those responsible for grading high school students’ exams and guiding parents, while nursing professionals are preparing to vote on whether to go on strike. It goes on strike for the first time in history since it was founded in 1916. Royal College of Nursing (Royal College of Nursing). Doctors and sanitation staff in hospitals are also exploring this possibility that will paralyze a National Health Service (NHS), understaffed (there are 100,000 vacancies for doctors and 50,000 vacancies for nurses), and overwhelmed by the post-pandemic six million and an average of six million. number of patients on the waiting list and delays in ambulance service of up to 40 hours.
humanitarian crisis
Hundreds of people responsible for the national health system warned in a letter to the Government on Friday of the humanitarian crisis the country could face unless authorities take action and limit energy prices. “The more poor people who can’t pay for energy and have to choose between eating or heating their homes, the greater the demand for health there will be,” he told the BBC. Matthew TaylorCEO of the NHS Confederation. “The cold can contribute 10,000 deaths Now we know there will be more pressure if we don’t do something to help them with the extra and energy costs in a normal year.
Source: Informacion
