The leader of the RMT union, Mick Lynch, has suggested unions are on the brink of calling for “synchronised” strikes over widespread anger at how much soaring inflation is outpacing wages.
Speaking from a picket line in Euston as railway workers staged another strike in their dispute over pay and conditions, Lynch predicted “a massive response coming from working people”.
Asked by Sky News how close the UK was to a general strike, Lynch said: “Only the TUC can call a general strike.” The TUC’s general secretary, Frances O’Grady, was on the picket line behind the RMT boss as he spoke.
Lynch added: “There is a wave of reaction amongst working people to the way they’re being treated. People are getting poorer every day of the week. People can’t pay their bills. They’re getting treated despicably at the workplace. I think there will be generalised and synchronised action. It may not be in a traditional form.
“But we’ve seen the Post Office workers and BT [on strike] we’ve seen the bus workers in London out on strike tomorrow and over the weekend. I think there is a massive response coming from working people because they’re fed up with the way they’ve been treated.”
This week official figures showed pay had fallen behind inflation at a record rate, and the rate of inflation hit 10.1%.
Lynch repeated that RMT workers did not want to be on strike, but said the union would not back down. He said: “We will keep going until we get a negotiated settlement and our members decide whether it’s acceptable or not.”
He confirmed that the RMT had rejected an 8% pay increase offer from Network Rail because it was over three years.
He said: “That is an offer for Network Rail – on the train operating companies we’ve haven’t had an offer. And we would have to accept massive changes to our members working lives.”
He pointed out that other transport workers had been offered better deals.
Lynch said: “We’ve had a deal done in the aviation industry of 12% and 13% this week, so they’re not offering us anything really, they’re offering a real term pay cut. That’s not acceptable to our people. If we were to accept 4% for this year, and 4% for next year, members would be poorer as a result of that deal.”
And Lynch again accused ministers of scuppering the negotiations. He said: “The obstacle here at the moment is the stance of the minister Grant Shapps, backed up by the Treasury, and I think that’s got a bit wound up with the Conservative party leadership process.”
He added: “If we can get the companies negotiating freely, without being shackled by the government, we can negotiate a settlement in this dispute and get the railways back to running fully.”
Speaking earlier to ITV’s Good Morning Britain, he said the union had been working with Network Rail and the train operating companies but “the gap between us is still there”.
Lynch said: “We’ve got to find a way to bridge that but I fear that because of the political interference that’s happening with the public transport and the Treasury, we’re not able to do that.”
“We’ve also got a dispute tomorrow with London Underground, which is more of the same – that the funding from the railway has been cut – and that means an attack on rail workers across the land and I think many workers are suffering from that at this moment.
“They’re not getting a square deal but we’ll keep working with the companies to get a negotiated settlement and as soon as we can do that, will put it to our members and hopefully we can get the railway back providing service the that public needs.”
