New rail strike adds to snow-induced chaos in British transport

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The pulse between the union and the government is hardening and will continue throughout this month and into early January

The first strike this week by rail service workers is causing an uproar in parts of the UK, where worker protests are taking place in December. The number of trains available this Tuesday was estimated at 20% and in some regions there were none. An estimate based on annual statistics suggests that the British make three million train journeys every day.

The train strikes have been taking place since the summer, because the members of the RMT union do not accept proposals from the Rail network, which manages the infrastructure, or the association of concessionaires for the operation of lines awarded by the government. Three more strikes will follow this week and more are already planned for December and January.

The network has offered employees a 9% pay rise over the next two years and the franchise organization 8%. The salary offer could be accepted by the union if the executive, which owns the network and finances part of the activity of the companies operating the concessions, does not demand that the package include reforms to reduce staff and working conditions .

The railway strike has an impact on airports, as most passengers travel by train to catch their flight. Low temperatures and ice have caused disruptions at some airports since Sunday, but they are now operating normally with few delays or cancellations, according to information they publish on their websites.

Longer-than-normal queues may form on arrivals at UK airports in the days before Christmas and at the end of the year, due to the strike by employees of the public body responsible for identity checks. Authorities are advising travelers arriving in the UK on these dates to use their ePassports. And that they consult the situation before they travel.

Negotiations to suspend the strike by nurses or employees of the ambulance service have failed. As with passport control, the government has devised a plan so that the ambulance service does not collapse. It will use army personnel and other officials. But it won’t replace nurses in their two days of unemployment.

The weather is not exceptional for these dates. The Met Office forecast is for more sub-zero lows, ice and snow tomorrow and through the week, with the weather turning on Sunday to bring temperatures above freezing for the Christmas break.

Source: La Verdad

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