The Labor leader will accuse the government of “throwing gasoline on the fire” to handle the dispute with the unions, instead of trying to defuse the heat. His comments came after the Railways, Shipping and Transportation Union (RMT) confirmed on Saturday that the strike would take place after talks failed to resolve a bitter dispute over workers’ conditions. Union Rail members and 13 train operators will go on 24-hour strikes on June 21, 23 and 25, with a possible break for the rest of the week. There will also be labor action for the London Underground services on 21 June. Over the weekend, KH Nicholls, chief executive of the UKHospitality industry group, suggested that the tourism, leisure and theater industries were “considering an economic blow of more than λι 1 billion”. Speaking at a conference of the Local Government Workers’ Association, Sir Keir argued that the prime minister and Mr Shapps “want the strikes to go ahead”, adding: “They want the country to stop in order to fuel the division. ” Referring to Conservative advertisements describing the industrial action as “Labor Strikes”, Sir Keir said: “Instead of spending their time this week around the negotiating table, they are planning attack ads. “Instead of talking to adults to get the heat out of the situation, they are throwing gasoline on the fire. “Instead of bringing people together for the national interest, they are inciting division for their political interest.” He added: “Businesses will have difficulty with goods. School exams will be difficult to get to. Hospital appointment [will be] unanswered. That is why I have said that the strikes should not continue. “ Network Rail bosses were scheduled to hold final talks with RMT on Sunday in hopes of preventing the strike, but union bosses indicated there was little prospect of a breakthrough. Confirming that the strike would continue, RMT Secretary-General Mick Lynch said on Saturday: “Despite the best efforts of our negotiators, no viable settlement has been reached.” He added: “It must be reiterated that the source of these disagreements is the decision of the Tory government to cut 4 billion £ financing from our transport systems – 2 billion. From the national railway and 2 billion. From Transport to London. As a result of this government-imposed transport austerity, employers have decided to dismantle the rail’s pension system and the London Transport program by cutting benefits, making staff work harder and poorer in retirement. , while paying increased contributions “. Ahead of the strikes, Mr Saps issued a statement saying the government had repeatedly urged RMT not to go on strike, which would “cause misery” to the public. He added: “Many people who are not paid if they can not get to work face losing money at a time when they simply can not afford it. The children taking the exams will face the extra distraction of changing their travel plans. And vulnerable people trying to attend long-awaited hospital appointments may have no choice but to cancel. “In doing so, RMT is punishing millions of innocent people, instead of calmly discussing the logical and necessary reforms we need to make to protect our rail network.” Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng accused the unions of “bribing” workers to go on strike after some difficult pay increases for staff who would lose wages by leaving. He was quoted as saying by the Sunday Telegraph.
