UK Rail Workers Start New Strikes

On Friday, the UK's National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) began a strike over an ongoing pay dispute with rail companies.

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In a letter to UK lawmakers, the RMT Secretary Mick Lynch denounced the government's handling of the controversy and accused it of wasting billions of pounds on a pointless war against rail unions.

He has called on MPs to pressure Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to facilitate an offer that protects staff and services and provides fairer treatment for railway workers.

The union leader said the Sunak administration "has no idea" how to tackle the "cost of living crisis" in the country as all it has done in the last year has been to promise reforms that passengers do not want.

On Saturday, the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firefighters (ASLEF) is due to go on strike after rejecting a 4 percent wage increase proposed by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG).

Affectations to train passengers are expected during the next 48 hours. It even becomes highly likely that the ASLEF strike will affect the Emirates FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United, which will take place at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

In recent months, British rail workers have gone on strike several times to demand pay increases, as year-on-year inflation stands at 8.7 percent.