Written by Jess Woodburn (Human Rights Correspondent)
Edited by Ena Saracevic (Social Affairs Editor)
Recently, the Government has changed the law to allow businesses vastly impacted by industrial action to fill vital roles with temporary workers. The government has said this is to “aid in ensuring crucial public services and people’s daily lives remain uninterrupted by staff strikes.” This change in law means that the efforts of workers to gain fair pay and decent working conditions are no longer effective and weaker than ever before.
Past trade union action has allowed us to currently have a minimum wage, maternity leave, and many other pivotal rights that benefit the general public. Now workers cannot take industrial action to obtain rights such as these; are the rights of workers now going to deteriorate further in the hands of the wealthy?
How far must the government take it before we stand up and say enough is enough? Workers have again and again been trodden on, stamped on, and for what? So the rich get richer? They sit on their millions while we, the people, are living in a cost-of-living crisis.
Why are the strikes happening?
The railway strikes, first announced on the 21st of June 2022, began as workers were being threatened with job cuts and a pay freeze which would mean their pay wouldn’t keep up with inflation. A lot of RMT members have received real pay cuts, as well as the losses against inflation in the current crisis. With the expected increase of energy prices rocketing in January 2023, some workers will be forced to pay 2 full months of take home pay on energy; while the FTSE 350 top companies have had their profits increased 73% since 2019.
However, these strikes are not just about pay as the media have led us to believe.
Mike Lynch has said that between 4,000 and 5,000 jobs have already gone; maintenance workers within Network Rail have been told that 3,000 jobs will be lost and railway companies have plans to cut back on safety regimes.
The media have vilified strikers, highlighting the impact of these strikes on the public, calling workers walk-outs “selfish” as they believe it’ll negatively affect GCSE and A-Level students as well as those travelling to hospitals. Although this is a valid argument to be concerned about, this is an attempt at emotional blackmail. Strikes are happening as a last resort when all other action has failed.
Instead of vilifying the workers, the media should be turning their attention to the companies valuing their profits over the safety and the quality of life of their workers. We should be asking the companies why they refuse to value the workers that keep their company alive. They are vital to the economy, and yet they are treated as an inconvenience.
More strikes
The actions of the RMT have created a shockwave, giving more confidence to other sectors to ballot to strike. It has been reported that postal workers, teachers, and nurses all have plans to strike for better working conditions. It is time we support each other against government austerity, and against the wealthy elites.
Stealthily, the government has been stripping the workers and the average joe of their rights. Right now a Bill of Rights, to replace the Human Rights Act, is moving through Parliament. This will have detrimental effects on the rights of many people across the UK.
As well as this, the government has changed the law to, once again, support the hands of the businesses by allowing companies to replace strikers with temporary staff. Without strike action, the wealthy keep getting wealthier off of the working people's backs. All the while, the Conservatives are refusing to aid the cost-of-living crisis.
Again and again, the government shows us that they run the country for the few, wealthy elites. When are we going to say enough is enough, and stand up and refuse to take this abuse?
Have you ever stopped and thought about how far the government has to go before you take action?
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