Reporters look at the world! Hello everyone, I am Liang Tao, a correspondent of the General Taiwan Station in the United Kingdom.
Recently, the British sun is scorching and the fever is not going away, which makes the British who rarely experience high temperatures and roasting a little bored in the summer season. However, what is more distressing to the British than the heat is that it was originally the season of vacation travel, but a railway strike that had not been encountered in 30 years forced the British to open the "home squat" mode again. Food inflation, which has hit a 40-year high and doubled the energy bill, has made The British people stay at home and eat less, and they dare not even turn on the electric fan. All of this reminds older people in the UK of not only the "winter of discontent" 50 years ago, but also the strikes, inflation and energy crises in the UK in the 1970s, which brought British society to a long-term standstill. All of this 30, 40, 50 years ago will be repeated collectively this summer of 2022.
On the 21st local time, the empty entrance to London's Eustaton Railway Station (photo by Liang Tao)
On the 23rd local time, Lucy originally planned to try her luck at the train station with her friends on the same day and buy a ticket to the beach near London to escape the summer, but the railway strike forced Lucy and her partners to return in vain.
British tourist Lucy (first from right) and her partners are interviewed
Lucy is not alone in influencing travel because of the railroad strike.
More than 40,000 rail workers from 14 british rail operators went on strike for three days on the 21st, 23rd and 25th due to failed negotiations with the management. 80% of the country's rail network was halted by the strike, and the rest of the train operating hours were drastically reduced. Although the strike day is only three days, the pattern of the next day's suspension has greatly disrupted the non-strike day, which means that the British rail network is nearly paralyzed this week, which is also the largest strike in the railway system since the "Iron Lady" Margaret Thatcher took the helm of the British government.
London Waterloo train station on the 23rd local time (photo by Liang Tao)
Mick Lynch, secretary general of the British Railways, Maritime and Transport Union, threatened: "If necessary, this strike can continue forever." "Many Britons seem to have to plan another way this summer.
The railway strike between labor and management over the wage increase dispute, on behalf of the British Railway, Maritime and Transport Union on behalf of the labor side, demanded an 11% salary increase; However, management is only willing to raise salaries by 2%, and the increase may be increased to 3% in the case of workers accepting layoffs and changes in the way they work. So why 11%?
On the 21st local time, the empty entry gate at London King's Cross Railway Station (photo by Liang Tao)
On the 22nd local time, the latest data released by the British National Bureau of Statistics showed that the British consumer price index rose by 9.1% year-on-year in May, refreshing the record of 9% in the previous month and hitting a new high of 40 years, which fully showed how serious the British cost of living crisis was. The Bank of England said last week that UK inflation could remain above 9% in the coming months and could reach 11% in October.
Therefore, the wage increase demanded by railway workers is based on this, in order to offset the price increase caused by inflation, or to meet the just needs of the whole family under the cost of living crisis.
For example, the price of seasonal vegetable cucumbers in the summer is 21% higher in the summer than in the winter half a year ago. Oil and gas are rising the fastest, with oil prices up 40 percent from before the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and natural gas doubling, and is said to be raising prices by the fall of this year.
Comparison of the same local gas station in London with the current oil price at the beginning of this year (Photo by Liang Tao)
British households are under the heaviest cost of living pressures in recent decades, with prices soaring and inflation approaching double digits. After removing inflation, the current average british wage is even lower than in 2006.
It is said that the railway strike will kick off a widespread strike across the UK economy in the coming months. And a nationwide strike across industries can only make the crisis-ridden British economy even more difficult. Everything seems to indicate that this restless summer in England is very difficult.
The above is the observation of Liang Tao, a reporter of the General Station in the United Kingdom, in the local area.
The author of this issue of "Reporters From the General Station Looks at the World" is Liang Tao, a reporter of the General Station in the United Kingdom
(From the Voice of China column "Reporters From the General Station Look at the World")
Producer 丨 Zhang Chengxia
Reporter 丨Liang Tao
Editor 丨 Yang Boyu