Strike chaos: RMT’s Mick Lynch tells hospitality to direct their anger at rail operators November 29, 2022 RMT’s general secretary Mick Lynch has told hospitality businesses to direct their anger at rail operators for the upcoming rail strikes. In a letter to hospitality and retail associations, Lynch said that while “you face disruption to your business at this critical time, the private rail businesses we are in dispute with will not lose [...]
Transport secretary Mark Harper: My role is to facilitate rail talks – not negotiate November 29, 2022 Transport secretary Mark Harper has reaffirmed his role of facilitator in the railway negotiations. Harper wrote to general secretary Mick Lynch saying he saw a way forward “to meet everyone’s needs” and put an end to the rail dispute, especially after last week’s “constructive and positive” meeting. “By modernising working practices, we can deliver the [...]
Shaftesbury back in the black as West End landlord sees ‘rapid rebound’ in shopping destination November 29, 2022 West End landlord Shaftesbury has swung back to profit as the capital’s retail heartland bounced back from Covid-19 disruption this year. The landlord, which is set to merge with neighbouring property giant Capital and Counties next year, shared a £119.1m profit after tax in full-year results. This was a strong come-back for the Carnaby, Seven [...]
Government calls on railway stations to keep ticket barriers shut to fight fare evasion November 27, 2022 The UK Government has called on railway stations to keep their ticket barriers shut as it clamps down on fare evasion. “For the barriers to be left open would be bad enough in the days when things were better,” rail minister Huw Merriman said. “To do so when I am fighting so hard with the [...]
Mark Harper: Inflation-matching pay rises ‘unaffordable’ November 27, 2022 Increasing workers’ salaries to match inflation rates is simply unaffordable, according to transport secretary Mark Harper. “We want to try and give all the workers in the public sector who work very hard decent pay rises, but they can’t be inflation busting,” he told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday. Salary increases have been the [...]
Nine pub chiefs plead with Mick Lynch to call off strikes and avert ‘devastating’ impact November 25, 2022 The chief executives of nine major pub and bar chains have written to rail union boss Mick Lynch pleading with him to call off strikes and to not unleash a “devastating” impact hospitality. The heads of Fuller’s, Young’s, Drake & Morgan and the City Pub Company were among those appealing to the RMT leader today. [...]
Nightcap: Cocktail group urges RMT to move rail strikes in exchange for free drinks November 25, 2022 The owners of UK cocktail group Nightcap have called on the union RMT to switch the rail strike dates in exchange for free drinks. Co-founders Sarah Willingham and Michael Toxvaerd – who own the likes of Cocktail Club, Barrio and the Adventure Bar Group – pleaded with the RMT to move their planned walkout from [...]
Nurses to walk out for two days in run up to Christmas with more strikes likely November 25, 2022 Nurses will strike on two days in the run up to Christmas with more dates likely to be announced. The Royal College of Nursing announced that healthcare workers would walk out on Thursday 15 and Tuesday 20 December. They said in meetings with the government, ministers ‘sidestep the serious issues of NHS pay and patient [...]
Mick Lynch: Strikes are STILL going ahead despite ‘positive meeting’ with Transport sec November 24, 2022 Rail union boss Mick Lynch has said the upcoming strikes will go ahead despite a “positive meeting” with transport secretary Mark Harper. “We won’t be any closer [to calling off the strikes] until we have a reasonable offer on the table that we can put to our members,” Lynch told journalists on Thursday following his [...]
Mick Lynch to meet with Mark Harper as new strikes sour festive period November 23, 2022 RMT’s boss Mick Lynch is set to meet with transport secretary Mark Harper tomorrow as the rail strikes announced yesterday are set to disrupt the festive period. The union announced on Tuesday that more than 40,000 of its members working at Network Rail and 14 other train operators will walk out throughout December and January [...]