The comments were made the same week that train unions announced further rail strikes.
Talking to a large crowd of activists and workers in Belfast, the RMT general secretary said that the ‘ultra right’ is causing division during the cost-of-living crisis, and it needs to be resisted. Calling for the trade union movement to begin in every town and county, Lynch praised the unions in Northern Ireland which had taken recent industrial action.
“The trade unionists on this island are the salt of the earth, and they’ve kept the movement going through thick and thin, through all the struggles that you’ve had, the struggles for peace and justice and democracy,” he said.
“It’s been the trade unions that have kept our spirits alive, that have kept this movement going, bringing all of our people together, no matter what their heritage, no matter what their background, and we have to keep doing it.
“Because we know what’s being said: the ultra right are going to exploit division. They’re seeking to do in the south, they’re seeking to do it up here. They’re seeking to do it in England.”
Talking to Belfast Live ahead of the May Day rally, Lynch warned of the potential consequences of a prolonged period of ‘direct Tory rule’ in Northern Ireland. He said NI risks “full, undiluted Tory austerity” without a devolved government.
Further train strikes announced
The comments were made the same week the RMT and ASLEF unions announced further strike action after rejecting the latest pay offers from train operating companies.
Following the breakdown of talks, the RMT said it will launch industrial action across 14 train operators on May 13, the day Liverpool is to host the Eurovision Song Contest. Mick Lynch said the Railway Delivery Group (RDG), the British rail membership body, had ‘torpedoed’ pay talks.
The RMT said the RDG would only introduce a 5 percent first-year wage increase if union members take no further strike action.
“The RDG have reneged on their original proposals and torpedoed these negotiations.
“No doubt their decision is due to pressure exerted on them by the Tory government,” said Lynch.
The union general secretary added they have “no alternative but to press ahead with more strike action and continue our campaign for a negotiated settlement on pay, conditions and job security.”
“We are re-balloting our members and if we beat the draconian anti-trade union laws on turnout, we will have a renewed mandate for action.
“We will then put on a further programme of strike action to make the employers and the government who continue to hold the puppet strings, see sense in this dispute,” he added.
The ASLEF union has also announced its train driver members will strike on June 3, the day of the FA final at Wembley and the Epsom Derby. The union will also strike on May 12 and 31, impacting 16 railway operator companies.
The union rejected a ‘risible’ pay offer from the operators.
Mick Whelan, ASLEF’s general secretary, said: “The proposal – of just 4 percent – was clearly not designed to be accepted as inflation is still running north of 10 percent and our members at these companies have not had an increase for four years.
“The RDG, in turn, rejected our proposals to modernise Britain’s railways and help them run more efficiently, for passengers and for businesses, in the 21st century.
“Consequently, we have today announced three more days of strike action – on Friday 12 May, Wednesday 31 May, and Saturday 3 June – at the companies with which we are in dispute, and which are letting down passengers, and taxpayers, so badly.”
Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is a contributing editor to Left Foot Forward
Image credit: YouTube screen grab
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