Unions press pause. Reacting to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, organizations representing railway workers but also British postal service employees announced on Friday September 9 the temporary lifting of the strikes planned for the coming days, in an explosive economic and social context in the United Kingdom. United.
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“We send our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and the country as a whole.”said Mick Lynch, who is head of the union Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT). “Out of respect, the actions scheduled for September 15 and 17 are cancelled.”
Another rail union, the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) has chosen to postpone its days of mobilization planned for the whole month of September. As for the postal workers, the major strike action planned by the Communications Employees Union (CWU) on Friday 9 September has been cancelled.
Upon the news that HM Queen Elizabeth has died, TSSA expresses deepest condolences to her family, friends, the country and those affected by her passing.
TSSA is canceling planned industrial action for September and will be respecting the period of public mourning. pic.twitter.com/dgHdv494Im— TSSA (@TSSAunion) September 8, 2022
Unprecedented strikes agitate the country
Since June, the United Kingdom has experienced a succession of walkouts which have affected the national rail network, the London Underground and even the port of Felixstowe, the largest in England, at the end of August. It’s about biggest strike in decades in the face of inflation, which reached 10.1% year on year in July and could exceed 13% in October – the highest level of a G7 country. Citizen movements like Enough is Enough or the Don’t Pay campaign (which encourages the British to no longer pay their energy bills) have joined the national protest and continue to call for demonstrations from October 1st.