Month: June 2022

ScotRail has cancelled 90% of its services while cross-border services are also likely to be badly affected.

About 40,000 Network Rail staff were expected to walk out on at midnight on Tuesday in a dispute over pay, working conditions and redundancies.

Last ditch talks between the RMT union and Network Rail failed on Monday.

Mick Lynch, the union’s general secretary, blamed the “dead hand” of government, saying ministers did not allow employers to negotiate freely.

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said “outdated unions” were “opposing progress”.

Further strikes are scheduled to take place on Thursday and Saturday but services are likely to be disrupted even on non-strike days.

People have been advised to plan ahead and only travel by rail if it is necessary.

ScotRail said it would run very limited services on five routes in the central belt only, with no replacement buses or taxis throughout the period of industrial action.

The routes are:

Trains will only run from 07:30 on those routes, with the last trains departing well before 18:30.

Anyone who has bought a ticket they are unable to use will be able to claim a full refund.

Trains in England and Wales will also be badly affected, including services between London and Scotland on both the East and West Coast mainlines.

This dispute between the RMT union and the companies which run Britain’s railway centres on pay, job losses and changes to workers’ terms and conditions.

Staff working for ScotRail are not involved in this industrial action but the train operator, which was nationalised on 1 April, relies on Network Rail workers to operate signal boxes and maintain the track across the UK.

The RMT said Network Rail’s plans to cut 2,500 jobs would put safety at risk and has warned that strikes could continue over the next six months.

Speaking to BBC Scotland, Network Rail Scotland spokesman Nick King said: “Today’s strike is going to be very disruptive to the public. We are going to see a very, very limited service running in Scotland – principally only a few routes in the central belt.

“We are still keen to reach a resolution with the union, postpone further strike action if we can, but any deal that is done has to be fair on both our workers and on the taxpayer, who ultimately funds Network Rail’s operations.”

On Monday, UK Transport Secretary Gran Shapps told the House of Commons that rail workers were endangering their livelihoods by taking industrial action.

He said the UK government had plans for rail reform and a more “agile, flexible workforce – not one that strikes every time someone suggests a change to the railways”.

Gordon Martin, RMT organiser, told BBC Scotland they had been “forced” to take strike action.

“This is of the UK government’s making,” he said. “We have been forced into this as a defensive measure. Our members’ jobs and livelihoods are at risk here.

“More importantly, the safety of the rail infrastructure is at risk and safety in railway stations and on trains is at risk.”

Meanwhile, businesses in Scotland are bracing for an impact on their takings.

Alan Henderson, who owns 10 hospitality outlets across Aberdeen, told BBC Radio Scotland’s Lunchtime Live that the strike was a body blow.

“The impact is quite straightforward, hotel rooms will be cancelled B&Bs will be cancelled, less visitors will come to the north east and the north of Scotland, given that there is absolutely no trains heading north from the central belt,” he said.

“It’s a real body blow to the industry which is just recovering from Covid.”

One of Scotland’s main bus operators said it was prepared for increased demand on strike days.

First Bus managing director Duncan Cameron told BBC Scotland that despite still not being back to pre-pandemic levels, bus travel “massively overweighs rail use across the country”, carrying passengers on about 74% of public transport journeys.

He said: “It will be difficult for rail users over the coming days with no rail running, but given those margins we believe we can accommodate those who want to move to bus, and where possible we will introduce additional vehicle capacity to do that.”

National Express said coaches were also in high demand but warned it was not possible for the firm to match the demand of the rail network.

“We do expect and are prepared to be busy but also recommend that customers allow plenty of time when planning their journey,” a spokesman said.

The Network Rail industrial action is not related to a separate dispute between ScotRail and train drivers’ union Aslef which led to a temporary timetable with 700 fewer services introduced last month.

The union struck a 5% pay deal and improved terms and conditions with ScotRail earlier this month, with its members now being asked whether they want to accept it and end the dispute. RMT officials rejected a similar offer.

The prime minister had the operation at 06:00 BST on Monday and was back in Downing Street at 10:00.

A Downing Street spokesman said Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab would make any urgent decisions in his place.

And he said Mr Johnson was feeling well, and was due to take meetings on Monday afternoon.

It is understood Mr Raab remains on hand to assist with any major decisions, but Mr Johnson is expected to chair a meeting of his senior ministers on Tuesday morning and travel to a gathering of Commonwealth leaders later this week.

When questioned on how long the prime minister had experienced problems with his sinuses, his spokesperson said he wouldn’t comment on Mr Johnson’s medical history.

Asked if the prime minister had skipped waiting lists to get his operation, the spokesman said he was “not getting into” that.

The operation – which was carried out on the NHS and had been “scheduled for a while” – was a success and not related to his previous bout of coronavirus.

In April 2020, Mr Johnson spent three nights in intensive care receiving treatment for the virus. He later said it “could have gone either way”.

During his hospitalisation and subsequent recovery, Mr Raab – the then foreign secretary – was in charge of running the government.

Lord Geidt resigned on Wednesday after he said he was put in an “impossible and odious” position by the PM.

But Mr Johnson has yet to commit to appointing a successor.

Labour’s proposals, if passed, would enable a committee to appoint an independent ethics adviser if the role is unfulfilled for two months.

The motion will be put to the Commons on Tuesday, with Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner saying the role needed to be “urgently reformed”.

Lord Geidt’s role was to advise the PM on the ministerial code – a set of rules governing standards of behaviour.

In announcing his resignation, he said he had been asked for advice on an issue he believed would amount to a deliberate breach of the code.

“This request has placed me in an impossible and odious position,” wrote Lord Geidt in his resignation letter.

The former ethics chief also said he had come close to quitting over the Covid-law breaking in Downing Street.

Downing Street accepted that Lord Geidt fulfilled a “vitally important” role, but said the prime minister was reviewing the position and could abolish it.

Labour’s proposals would give powers to the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee to appoint an independent adviser on possible breaches of the code and initiate its own investigations.

The new “adviser on ministers’ interests” would advise the committee on any potential violations and on the effectiveness of the ministerial code.

They would need to consider any possible breaches referred to them and could also conduct their own investigations, the Labour party said.

Ms Rayner said it was time for Conservative MPs to back the proposals to “clean up politics”.

“Labour will put No 10 in special measures to prevent this prime minister running roughshod over the rules, dodging accountability and degrading standards in public life,” she said.

Lord Geidt was the second ethics adviser to quit under Mr Johnson, after Sir Alex Allan left in 2020.

Some states have shut down the internet and suspended train and bus services on Monday.

Protesters are demanding the rollback of the plan to hire soldiers on a fixed four-year term, saying it would shatter their dreams of a secure job.

They have taken to the streets, blocking roads and torching trains.

Several opposition political parties have given their support to the protests. But the government has refused to cancel the plan, though it has been trying to allay the fears of protesters.

Demonstrations against the plan began in the northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar last week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government announced changes to how it would recruit soldiers for the armed forces.

But they have now spread to several other states, with thousands of young men attacking train coaches, burning tyres and clashing with security forces.

At least one person died, and several others were injured in the southern state of Telangana where protesters clashed with the police on Friday.

Ahead of the shutdown on Monday, several states announced precautionary restrictions – banning large gatherings, shutting schools and even suspending internet services in some districts. In the state of Jharkhand, school exams have been postponed. And in Bihar, authorities have cancelled 350 trains in the wake of violence.

Protesters say the government’s plan to hire temporary soldiers will reduce their chances of getting coveted permanent military jobs, which guarantee fixed salaries and pensions.

They are demanding that the government scrap the new plan and maintain the policy that would offer them a career that usually lasts two decades and offers a pension at the end of it.

Young people in India’s smaller towns and villages prepare for years to become soldiers in the armed forces as the job brings prestige, a regular income and for some, a way out of poverty.

The new Agnipath scheme is aimed at people aged between 17.5 and 21 years. It says that successful candidates will join the armed services for four years, after which only 25% of them will be retained.

The soldiers will go through training for six months and then will be deployed for three and a half years. During this period, they will get a monthly starting salary of 30,000 rupees ($384; £316), along with additional benefits which will go up to 40,000 rupees by the end of the four-year service.

The reform is aimed at cutting the army’s expenditure on ballooning salaries and pensions – which consume more than half of its budget – and freeing up funds to modernise the forces. The government said this would also “enhance the youthful profile of the armed forces”

In a bid to pacify protesters, the federal government announced late on Thursday night that candidates aged up to 23 years could apply under the scheme in the first year.

On Sunday, the home ministry also said it would reserve 10% of vacancies in the paramilitary forces and the Assam Rifles, a unit in the Indian army, for those who finish the four-year term.

The government has also shared posts on social media, explaining the various opportunities it said would be available to short-term soldiers after they finish their stint. It said that police forces will be asked to accommodate those who successfully finish their four-year terms in the armed forces.

Critics of the plan say that it will weaken the armed forces and also increase unemployment rates in the country.

“It’s a foolish move, one that could affect the efficiency of the security forces,” said retired Major General Sheonan Singh.

“Saving money is good but it should not be done at the cost of defence forces. If you go to war with an experienced soldier, will a person with four years of training be able to replace him on his death? These things don’t work like this.”

But those who support the move say that such a plan was needed to make the forces more efficient.

Retired Maj Gen SB Asthana said the step would benefit the army as it would help modernise India’s forces.

“It is difficult to train old people in modern technology. But this generation is more capable. This plan will give freedom to the army to keep the best 25% of the soldiers and let the rest go.”

He had called on voters to deliver a solid majority.

But his centrist coalition lost dozens of seats in an election that has left French politics fragmented.

The prime minister he had only recently appointed, Elisabeth Borne, said the situation was unprecedented.

A storm hit Paris as she returned to her Matignon residence from a long meeting at the presidential Élysée palace to say that modern France had never seen a National Assembly like this one.

“This situation represents a risk for our country, given the risks we’re facing nationally and internationally,” she said. “We will work as of tomorrow to build a working majority.”

That seems a stretch when the two other biggest groups in the Assembly are not remotely interested in collaboration. Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire was adamant that France was not ungovernable, but said it was going to require a lot of imagination.The French prime minister said her government would draw the consequences from the result

Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon was enjoying his success in bringing together mainstream parties from the left with Communists and Greens into an alliance called Nupes.

He told supporters that the presidential party had suffered a total rout and every possibility was now in their hands.

Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen and her far-right National Rally party were also in jubilant mood after turning eight seats into 89. The people had spoken, she said: Emmanuel’s Macron’s adventure was over and he had been consigned to a minority government.

If the prime minister was looking to the right-wing Republicans to help build a working majority, their message was not immediately encouraging. Party chairman Christian Jacob said the result was a “stinging failure” for a president now paying for cynically weaponising France’s extremes.

He’s not Jupiter any more, said Dominique Rousseau, professor of constitutional law, referring to an earlier nickname ridiculing Mr Macron’s supposed desire for power.

“For Mr Macron these five years will be all about negotiations and parliamentary compromise,” he told AFP.

It was all so different in April, when he defeated Marine Le Pen convincingly and won a second term as president. He had more than 300 seats, but to maintain his outright majority he needed 289 – and fell well short with 245.

More than half of voters abstained, with a turnout of 46.23%.

Among the ministers to lose their seats was Health Minister Brigitte Bourguignon, who lost to her far-right opponent by just 56 votes. Green Transition Minister Amélie de Montchalin was also defeated, but another key figure, Europe Minister Clément Beaune, survived despite losing in the first round.

One of Mr Macron’s closest allies, the president of the Assembly Richard Ferrand, conceded victory to his Nupes rival Mélanie Thomin. Another casualty came on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, where a secretary of state, Justine Benin, lost her seat.

In a rousing speech to his supporters, Mr Mélenchon said the result marked the moral failure of “Macronie”, accusing the ruling party of enabling the far right by refusing to give clear guidance in seats where the left was running head to head with Marine Le Pen’s party.

In a tacit admission that he was unlikely to achieve his ambition of prime minister, the far-left leader said he was now changing his role in battle: “My commitment is and will remain at the front of your ranks until my final breath if you want.”

But as he was not running for a seat, he will not feature in the National Assembly.

Five years ago, Emmanuel Macron harnessed a wave of optimism, bringing in a fresh cohort of MPs from civil society. The new faces this time have emerged from Nupes and the National Rally.

Among the MPs elected for Nupes, which stands for New Ecological and Social Popular Union, is a hotel chambermaid who led her colleagues in a fight for better pay and conditions. Rachel Keke had vowed to dance in the Assembly if she succeeded in defeating a former sports minister.

President Macron has promised to tackle the cost of living crisis, but his rivals have very different ideas on how to go about it. His big-ticket proposals were reforming benefits, cutting taxes and raising the retirement age gradually from 62 to 65.

His pension age reform will be particularly hard to get through, although he will attract support from the Republicans.

Then there are proposals to move towards carbon neutrality and full employment. And he recently offered a “new method” of governing with greater involvement from civil society, proposing a National Council for Refoundation made up of local people to make France more democratic.

A temporary timetable is due to be introduced later, but last minute talks between unions and rail bosses will continue this morning.

Disruption is expected across the week, with walkouts on almost all major lines on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Passengers should only travel by train if necessary, Network Rail says.

A strike will also take place across the London Underground on Tuesday, with Transport for London advising passengers to walk and cycle instead.

While two sets of talks are expected first thing this morning, the Rail Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) union has said it will “intensify” its strike campaign if members don’t get an agreeable deal.

The union’s general secretary, Mick Lynch, said they would “run this campaign for as long as it takes to get a settlement”, potentially for six months or more.

He called on the government to “loosen the shackles” of employers to allow a deal to be struck, but Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said negotiations should be between unions and employers.

Network Rail says the last trains between many major cities are expected to depart over the course of the afternoon, before more than 40,000 rail workers walk out over job cuts, pay and conditions on Tuesday.

The reduced timetable will be in place until Sunday, with just 20% of usual services running on strike days.

Trains that do run will start later and finish much earlier than usual – between 07:30 and 18:30.

Knock on disruption is expected on the roads, with motorists being warned to expected a surge in traffic.

Motoring group the AA says drivers in Scotland and Wales should expect to face long queues as most railway lines will be closed.

The M74, M8 and A9 in Scotland and the M4, A55, A5, and A483 in Wales could see severe traffic, it says.

The RAC says major city routes and those serving the home counties are likely to see some of the biggest increases in traffic volumes.

The strikes will affect a number of events including school exams and the first Glastonbury festival for three years.

Can I get a refund? Yes, if you can’t get your train due to strike action. Season-ticket holders can apply for a refund for the days affected. Find more info here.

Do I have to go to work or school? This is up to your individual employer or school, check with them.

The RMT is unhappy about stagnating pay and proposed job losses, and so far tales between the union and Network Rail – which maintains tracks and runs bigger stations – have failed to find a resolution.

Mr Shapps has dismissed a call from the RMT for ministerial intervention as a “stunt” – and claimed union bosses were “gunning for” industrial action.

Leaders at 13 trade unions and the Trade Unions Congress (TUC) have jointly written to Mr Shapps urging him to “help deliver a fair resolution”. The Labour Party has also called on the government to step in.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said nobody takes strike action lightly but argued rail staff had been left with “no other option”.

“Many rail staff who will be hit hardest – such as caterers and cleaners – are on low and average earnings. It’s insulting to ask them to take yet another real-terms pay cut when rail companies took £500 million in profits during the pandemic,” she said.

However, Rail Delivery Group chair Steve Montgomery said rail bosses were trying to work with unions “on how to carry out modernisation and reform of the industry” amid falling passenger numbers.

“Ultimately we do want to give our people a pay increase… but we have to get on with reform, and that helps us deliver the next phase of giving people a pay rise.”