Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Tuesday’s papers report heavily on the rail strike – the UK’s biggest rail strike in 30 years – that kicked off today. There will be three strikes this week that are set to severely disrupt the rail network with workers being told not to travel this week.
“Britain runs into the buffers” is the headline of The Times, which says the industrial action will “paralyse” the rail network.
Millions of people are facing “hellish” journeys to reach firms which are still battling back after the pandemic – and are now facing “crippling losses” – that’s the Metro’s take on the industrial action.
The Sun uses its front splash to let you know what it thinks of the RMT union general secretary. The paper describes Mick Lunch’s threat to continue strikes for months as “Mad Mick’s misery pledge”.
Whilst The Star suggests the strikes could go on until Christmas if a deal isn’t agreed.
The Daily Telegraph describes the PM’s accusation that the trade unions are “harming the very people they claim to be helping” as his strongest comments on the walkout so far.
Boris Johnson’s call for a “sensible compromise” to halt the walkout also makes the front of the Daily Express.
But the Guardian says Downing Street has “inflamed” the dispute by bringing forward plans to enable employers to replace striking workers with agency staff – a move the unions decried as “unworkable.”
The Financial Times reports that a broader confrontation between the government and public sector workers is looming. The paper says ministers are preparing to announce below-inflation pay deals for millions of teachers, doctors, nurses and local government workers.
Some papers look at the airport chaos as more flights have been cancelled amid a staff crisis.
A source told the Telegraph that the holiday plans of around 1.5 million people will be affected by EasyJet’s plan to cancel flights over the summer because of the staffing crisis. The Express quotes the boss of the airlines, who said he “simply didn’t know” exactly how many services would be axed.
The Daily Mirror lays blame on the transport secretary Grant Shapps. “Flights cancelled, railways grinding to a halt, petrol prices rise again” the paper complains “and still Secretary Shapps refuses to do anything”. He has repeatedly rejected calls to intervene in the negotiations between rail employers and the RMT union, insisting it is not the government’s place to do so.
