London Underground practically at a standstill

The London Underground was almost paralyzed on Friday and the rest of the public transport network severely disrupted by a strike for wages in the face of inflation at its highest in the United Kingdom, the day after a massive walkout by railway workers.

“There is hardly any servicein the London Underground, even thoughtwo lines offer reduced trafficwith a train every 15 minutes or so, a spokeswoman for public transport operator TfL told AFP. Bus traffic, overloaded due to the withdrawal of many Londoners on this mode of transport, was also disrupted.

Biggest strike action in decades

In front of Blackhorse Road station (North-East London), people gathered waiting for the opening of the Overground, a commuter train network that operates on Friday in reduced service. “Overground only, no metro todayshouts a non-striking employee to the attention of travelers, many of whom are not aware of the strike. “I’m going to be late for work, I have to go to central Londonsays a young woman who runs out of the station and rushes to the nearby bus stops.

Read alsoUnited Kingdom: Inflation accelerates further to 9.4% year on year in June

While many train riders on Thursday were sympathetic to the rail strikers, some late Londoners were less lenient on Friday. “I understand the message (that the strikers) want to send to their bosses, but (…) London is a big city and many people need to get to work“criticizes Catherine Ondo, a 25-year-old saleswoman. “I don’t know how I’m going to get to work“, laments Greg Skalski, 43, a construction worker. He denounces “TfL fares which have risen sharplyand believes that the public operator’s salaries are already above the country’s average.

The United Kingdom is experiencing these days a new salvo of massive walkouts in transport, post, ports, the biggest strike movement in decades in the face of inflation. A new day of strike is notably planned in the trains on Saturday. Negotiations with the multitude of private rail operators in the sector are deadlocked, according to the unions. The latter have also rejected an offer of an 8% wage increase over two years from Network Rail, a public company managing railway lines, which they accuse of being conditional on massive layoffs.

Read alsoRailroad workers, postal workers, dockworkers: UK faces inflation-linked strikes

Transport Minister Grant Shapps, accused by the unions of blocking the situation, for his part criticizes the unions for refusing reforms to modernize rail. He could go through in force, he assured Sky News on Friday. “If we cannot implement these modernizations, we will have to impose (them)“, he said. Liz Truss, the favorite in the race to succeed Boris Johnson in Downing Street, also showed firmness towards the unions on Twitter. “As Prime Minister, I will not let our country be held to ransom by militant trade unionists“, she wrote. The Labor Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who has authority over London transport and who has been engaged for months in a standoff over their funding with the executive, said for his part “worried that the government is deliberately pushing (unions) to strike in Londonin statements to Sky News.

SEE ALSO – Faced with a strike, Lufthansa cancels almost all of its flights in Germany