Deutsche Welle: Most British planes tied to the ground?

Third summer of passenger suffering. The British Airways workers’ union is threatening to go on strike in July and August. Delays on the railways as well.

The rising cost of living, the energy crisis, the ongoing strikes… All this leads to a truth: the British were expecting a normalcy after the end of the pandemic restrictions that never came. So this chain problem is hard to break. That’s why the strike wave in the country is growing, with cabin crews and British Airways engineers taking the baton threatening to strike at the height of the summer season.

It comes just a day after the British airline’s 16,000 ground and check-in workers decided to go on strike in July and August with a common goal: to raise wages or, rather, bring them back to pre-pandemic levels.

Wage cuts, staff cuts

It is known that British Airways had reduced the salaries of its employees by 10% during the pandemic, under the pretext that the losses were huge for the airline despite the state support given. So far he has not restored the reduction and does not even think to do so, as he has announced since February that he will give this 10% as a bonus at the end of the year.

But the ever-increasing cost of living does not leave much room for choice. The union is talking about “two years of work and pay cuts” and a disastrous policy of “layoffs and re-hiring” with the company insisting it is the best it can do after “losses of more than 4 billion”.

It is recalled that the percentage of flights has increased to pre-pandemic levels, something that for months British airports and British airlines can not support. But in the ball of responsibility that has been “played” for months, once again, the victims are the British summer and the passengers.

The strike on the trains continues

There are already dozens of canceled flights at all UK airports every day, miles of queues at checkpoints, lost luggage and even traveler access to airports is no longer accessible and a game for solid solvers.

Today, Saturday and for the third day, only one of the five train services is operating as the great strike of the British railways continues. In fact, there is a fear that the strike will continue, as despite the endless discussions of the workers’ union (RMT) and the management of the companies have not yet given up on any of the issues that have emerged such as wage increases, working conditions and the dismissals of colleagues.

Indicative of the panic in the country that in big music events like Glastonbury, which are organized after two years of pandemic, people can not find a way to go while a problem is created even in today’s concerts of the Rolling Stones and Ed Sheeran in London.

Zoe Katzagiannaki, London

Source: Deutsche Welle