In the UK, railway workers are on Saturday, August 20, another strike, the second in three days. They are dissatisfied with high inflation, which has been going on for several decades, affecting their wages.

The absence from work of tens of thousands of railway workers could not fail to affect the work of rail transport on weekends: only a fifth of the trains run according to the schedule and, in some regions of the country, the movement has been completely interrupted.

Unions are no longer willing to compromise

This summer, strikes are taking place in various sectors of the UK economy. People employed in them seek higher wages and better working conditions, the AFP agency points out.

“We cannot tolerate being bullied or tricked into agreeing to terms that are disadvantageous to our members,” said rail, maritime and transport workers (RMT) leader Mick Lynch.

If no agreement is reached on the issue of higher wages and better working conditions, more strikes are possible, he warned.

Problems for ordinary citizens

Meanwhile, British Transport Minister Grant Shapps criticized the unions. As he put it, their “coordinated approach” to organizing strikes shows that they are pursuing the goal of inflicting as much suffering as possible on people across the country.

The current railway strike has created problems for tourists, for the many football and cricket fans heading to the games and for those heading to one of the summer or holiday festivals. The strike will last until the morning of August 21.

An organized rail strike on 20 August followed a similar strike on 18 August and a transport strike in London a day later.

Peak inflation in the UK

According to official data, in July inflation in the United Kingdom exceeded 10% in annual terms and reached the highest level in the last four decades. Rising food and energy prices have harmed millions of people.

The Bank of England predicts that inflation in 2022 will exceed 13%, which threatens the British economy with a deep and prolonged recession.