UK government criticized for railway strikes

LONDON:The British government came under fire as the country saw the highest inflation with 9.1% and the transport across the UK is on a standstill due to railway workers’ strike this week.

The opposition’s Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Transport Minister Grants Shapps did not do enough to stop the railway strikes, biggest in the last 30 years at the House of Commons during the prime minister’s questions session.

Johnson said that his government is doing all it can to avoid the strikes, but it is up to the rail network’s managers to negotiate with the unions.

Johnson said 25 MPs joined the picket lines because the Labour Party takes £10 million ($12 million) from workers unions.

Johnson said inflation has become a global problem.

Britain has come to a complete standstill from early hours of Tuesday as thousands of rail workers staged an industrial action, leaving the rail network running with a skeleton service, while the country’s airports have already been paralyzed for more than a month due to staff shortages.

The strike by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, the biggest action the UK has seen in the past 30 years, will see two more days of walkouts on Thursday and Saturday this week.

Many train operators in England, Scotland and Wales have canceled most of the trains since Tuesday morning.

On Thursday, the UK inflation was revealed as 9.1% in the 12 months to May, from 9% in April, the Office for National Statistics said.

Higher food prices helped drive the latest rise in the cost of living during a time workers in the country are demanding pay rises in many sectors to cope with the higher prices.News Source from Andolu Agency