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Fresh transport strikes hit Britain and mainland Europe – AFR


Britain’s rail system came to a virtual standstill again on Saturday and flights in Europe were disrupted as travel sector strikes hit the continent.

Tens of thousands of UK rail workers staged the latest all-day strike over pay and job security, hampering weekend plans for those already affected by similar strikes on Tuesday and Thursday.

Only about a fifth of the services are said to operate at greatly reduced times, starting much later in the morning than usual and ending as early as 18:30 (1730 GMT).

The RMT rail union insists this week’s action is necessary as wages have failed to keep pace with UK inflation, which has hit a 40-year high and is set to rise.

She also wants to take back the threat of redundancies.

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said its members “stand by all working people who are trying to get a raise and some job security”.

“In a modern economy, workers need to be paid well for their work, enjoy good conditions and know that their jobs will not be taken away,” he added.

Network Rail Chief Executive Andrew Haines said: “Unfortunately, the RMT’s decision to conduct another day of unnecessary and premature strike action means our passengers will suffer again on Saturday.

“Compared to a typical Saturday service, a fraction of the trains will run, with trains starting later in the morning and ending much earlier in the evening.”

Britain, like much of Europe, is suffering from skyrocketing inflation and sluggish economic growth, raising the prospect of a summer of strikes across the continent.

Staff at Irish low-cost airline Ryanair staged strikes in Spain, Italy, France, Portugal and Belgium on Saturday, forcing the cancellation of two flights between Lisbon and Brussels.

Ryanair employees held their second day of action in Spain, resulting in flight delays but no cancellations so far.

One of the unions that called the strike said that by 10:00 (0800 GMT) there had been “15 delayed flights, both arrivals and departures.

“This situation is expected to increase throughout the day and tomorrow as Ryanair’s maximum win system, which respects the minimum time between flights, will cause delays,” it added.

The aviation sector is struggling to recover from the pandemic, which has prompted mass layoffs as international travel has been suspended.

Faced with staff shortages, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol was forced to announce earlier this month that it would be restricting the number of travelers and canceling flights this summer.

The bottlenecks have already caused hundreds of flights to be canceled while huge queues have angered travellers.

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