Talks resumed in a bid to resolve the bitter dispute over jobs, wages and conditions following a massive strike by railway workers on Tuesday, with further strikes scheduled for Thursday and Saturday. However, transport bosses warned that services would be closed on Wednesdays and all week, with many starting later than normal because night workers, including Network Rail (NR) traffic lights and control room staff, took part in Tuesday’s strike. Wednesday would be a “very messy day,” said Anthony Smith, CEO of Transport Focus. “Almost all train companies have special schedules, services start late and trains and staff are not in the right place,” he told BBC Radio 4 Today. “Today will be another messy day. So do not assume that this is a normal day. ” About 60% of trains will run all Wednesday as a whole, and some operators will stop earlier than normal. On Tuesday 80% of services were canceled, leaving much of northern England, Wales and Scotland without trains. About 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Association (RMT) in the Network Rail and 13 train operators are involved in the industrial action. A one-day London Underground strike by another 10,000 RMT members exacerbated tensions in the capital on Tuesday, shutting down almost the entire Underground network. RMT general secretary Mick Leeds praised the “fantastic” turnout and said the union would continue to fight for wages and conditions. “RMT members are at the forefront of all workers in this country who are sick and tired of cutting their wages and conditions from a mix of big business profits and government policy,” he said. “Now is the time to stand up and fight for every railway worker in this controversy that we will win.” On Wednesday, Justice Minister Dominic Raab said the government should “keep the line” against the RMT. “We need to reform the way railways work,” he told LBC Radio, adding that there were “old practices which, frankly, are very outdated and unnecessary.” Network Rail has stepped up pressure on RMT, announcing it will begin formal proceedings to make changes to work practices and cut 1,800 maintenance workers, including mandatory layoffs if necessary. Hopes for a breakthrough this week remain low as the club rejected offers worth 3% from the industry on Monday. Inflation in the United Kingdom rose to 9.1% on Wednesday, the highest level in 40 years. Raab said: “The only thing that will keep inflation higher for a longer period of time and undermine wage packages for a longer period of time is if we have spiraling increases in public sector wages beyond what is responsible. And that’s the point here. “Just to protect the wages of those with the lowest incomes, we must keep the line.” Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7 p.m. BST Raab defended the restoration of the triple lock on pensions, which would mean that the state pension would increase in line with inflation. “[Pensioners] “They are particularly vulnerable and disproportionately affected by the increase in energy costs that we know everyone is facing,” he told Today. He said the government had pledged 37 37 billion to help people cope with rising costs, but that wage demands “would see inflation stay higher for longer and it only hurt the poorest at worst”. Polls show that three out of five people support the right to strike, with 35% opposing it. In a Savanta ComRes survey of more than 2,300 people, 58% said labor action was justified. Younger adults aged 18-34 (72%) and Labor voters (79%) were more likely to find the strikes justified. Only 44% of respondents over 55 supported the strikes and 38% of Conservative voters. Boris Johnson warned the public about further strikes, saying that Downing Street “will not give in” to the demands of the rail unions.
