British Rail Unions Announce Joint Strike for October

The British rail unions Unite and TSSA have announced that they will go on strike in the United Kingdom at the beginning of October. The unions are dissatisfied with the salary and working conditions of railway employees.

Hundreds of thousands of people work in the British rail sector. It is unknown how many of them will participate in the strikes.

Rail workers’ wages have been frozen for three years. The country’s largest union Unite, through general secretary Sharon Graham, says it is “a disgrace” as the cost of living rises sharply “in the worst crisis in decades”. The TSSA union, therefore, preferred to find “a fair, negotiated solution”. “But we just don’t have a choice,” said TSSA Secretary General Manuel Cortes.

Unions previously cancelled strikes for September over the death of Queen Elizabeth, including those of train workers and postal workers. However, a wave of strikes has been going on in the country for some time as employees in several sectors demand more wages due to the sharp rise in inflation.