Photos: Biggest rail strike in over 30 years hits UK

A view of trains on the platform at Waterloo Station as a station worker stands nearby on the first day of the national rail strike in London. Britain’s biggest rail strike in 30 years kicked off on Tuesday as tens of thousands of staff walked out in a dispute over pay and jobs that could pave the way for widespread industrial action across the economy in the coming months.

Commuters wait at a bus stop during rail workers' strike near London Victoria railway station in London. Some of the more than 40,000 rail workers due to hit on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday gathered at picket lines from dawn, leaving the network at a standstill and major stations deserted. The London Underground metro was also mostly closed due to a separate strike.

A usually busy Waterloo Station is almost empty in London on June 21, 2022, as the most significant rail strike in over 30 years hits the UK.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, under pressure to do more to help British households facing the toughest economic hit in decades, said the industrial action would harm businesses as they continue to recover from the pandemic.

A near empty Liverpool Street station, in London.

Unions have said the rail strikes could mark the start of a “summer of discontent” with teachers, medics, waste disposal workers and even barristers moving towards industrial action as surging food and fuel prices push inflation towards 10%.

A member of staff cleans an empty platform on the first day of a national rail strike at Manchester Piccadilly Station in Manchester.

“The British worker needs a pay rise,” Mick Lynch, secretary-general of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), told Sky News.

“They need job security, decent conditions and a square deal in general, if we can get that we won’t have to have the disruption in the British economy that we’ve got now and which may develop across the summer.” Johnson said the unions were harming the people they claimed to be helping. Above, a striking worker carries a National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) flag near London Victoria railway station in London.

“By going ahead with these rail strikes, they are driving away commuters who ultimately support the jobs of rail workers, whilst also impacting businesses and communities across the country,” he will tell his cabinet on Tuesday, according to his office.

Commuters, using limited rail services during a rail workers strike, on the concourse at London Waterloo railway station in London, UK.

Closed platforms, during a rail workers strike, at London Waterloo railway station in London.

The government has faced criticism from opposition lawmakers for refusing to get involved in the talks to settle the dispute.

Ministers say it is a matter for the unions to work out directly with rail employers. A survey by pollsters YouGov earlier this month found public opinion on the strikes was divided, with around half of those questioned opposed to the action and just over a third saying they supported it.

Leo Rudolph, a 36-year-old lawyer who walked to work, said he would become more disgruntled the longer the dispute holds. “This isn’t going to be an isolated occurrence, right?” he told Reuters. “I will certainly be getting more frustrated every time this happens.”

A near empty Liverpool Street station, in London. Britain’s economy initially rebounded strongly from the COVID-19 pandemic but a combination of labour shortages, supply chain disruption, inflation and post-Brexit trade problems has prompted warnings of a recession.

The government says it is giving extra support to millions of the poorest households but says above-inflation pay rises would damage the fundamentals of the economy.

The outbreak of industrial action has drawn comparison with the 1970s, when Britain faced widespread labour strikes including the 1978-79 “winter of discontent”. The number of British workers who are trade union members has roughly halved since the 1970s with walk outs much less common, in part due to changes made by former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to restrict trade union powers and make it more difficult to call a strike. Above, a rail worker hands out leaflets during a strike outside the Waterloo Station.