LONDON (AP) – Trains in Britain all but ground to a halt on Saturday as coordinated strikes by railway workers added to a week of turmoil caused by rising energy prices and unfunded tax cuts that roiled financial markets.
Only around 11% of train services should operate across the UK on Saturday, according to Network Rail. Unions said they had called the latest in a series of one-day strikes to demand wage increases keep pace with inflation, which is expected to peak at around 11% this month.
Consumers were also hit by a surge in their energy bills on Saturday as the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine pushes up gas and electricity prices. Household bills are expected to rise by around 20% even after the government steps in to cap prices.
Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has been in office for less than a month, cited the cost of living crisis as the reason she rushed to roll out a controversial stimulus package that includes £45 billion ($48 billion) in unfunded tax cuts.
Fears that the plans would push government debt to unsustainable levels sent the pound to record lows against the dollar this week, forcing the Bank of England to intervene in the bond market.
“We need to get things done faster in this country,” Truss said in a column for The Sun newspaper published on Saturday. “So I will do things differently. It involves difficult decisions and short-term disruptions.”
Many workers are not convinced.
Four unions have called three 24-hour strikes over the next eight days, ensuring business disruption for much of the week.
Timing is of particular importance for runners and fans trying to get to the capital for Sunday’s London Marathon, which is expected to draw 42,000 competitors.
Mick Lynch, general secretary of the Railway, Maritime and Transport Workers’ Union, said the strikes were aimed at hitting Truss’ annual Conservative Party conference which starts on Sunday in Birmingham, England.
“We don’t want to cause any inconvenience to the public, and we’re really sorry that that’s happening,” Lynch said. “But the government started this argument. They are (blaming) us for the challenges of cutting our jobs, cutting our pensions and cutting our wages against inflation.”
Lynch urged Transport Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan to “take urgent steps to facilitate a negotiated settlement.” The union said the latest figures show rail bosses are benefiting from government tax cuts.
There will be no services between London and major cities such as Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle on Saturday as a result of the strike. Persistent disruptions are also likely to affect the service on Sunday morning.
Runners and spectators traveling to London for the marathon, which starts at 9:30am, have been warned they are likely to be frustrated by the strike.
“It is particularly disheartening that this weekend’s strike will hit the plans of thousands of runners who have trained for months to compete in the iconic London Marathon,” said Daniel Mann, Director of Industry Operations at Rail Delivery Group. “It will also penalize the many charities large and small that rely on sponsorship funds raised through events like this to support the most vulnerable in our community.”