Good Morning Britain viewers were left unimpressed when Richard Madeley as he made a factual blunder during an interview with the general secretary of the RMT Union.
Mick Lynch spoke with co-hosts Richard and Susanna Reid on Wednesday morning amid the news that thousands of rail workers are to stage three days of national strike action later this month in disputes over pay and jobs.
As Network Rail and 13 train operators will walk out on June 21, 23 and 25, causing widespread disruption, the general secretary pushed back against Susanna and Richard’s pleas to reconsider.
At one point in the interview, Richard raised the question of a go-slow strike alternative, in which employees continue to work but reduce productivity or efficiency, and was corrected by Lynch.
Richard asked: “I did open my question, by saying you have every right to strike and every worker has every right to strike,” before Lynch cut in to say: “You just don’t want us to exercise it ever.”
Susanna stepped in and said: “I don’t want misery for all the people who are going to suffer.”
Lynch replied: “And I don’t want my members to lose their wages.”
Richard then asked: “What I wanted to put to you is this, is there not a middle way? We accept your right to take industrial action, but can’t you mitigate it a bit?”
He then suggested: “What about a go-slow? Why does it have to be a complete walk out? Why not take more moderate measures to make your point.”
But Lynch then pointed out that go-slow’s are “illegal”, pointing out an apparent lack of research on Richard’s point.
He continued: “The anti-trade union laws in this country make everything except overtime bans and strike action almost impossible to carry out.
“A go-slow would cause as much disruption as us opening the gates to let the passengers travel for free so that the companies didn't get revenue.
“It has been made illegal by continuous Tory governments.”
Undeterred, Richard replied: “Then why a three day strike? Why not a one day strike? I’m just trying to look at ways that you could mitigate the misery that you already admitted you’re going to cause. We’re not making it up, it’s horrible.”
Good Morning Britain viewers were left unimpressed by the moment and took to Twitter, with one demanding Richard “do us a favour and find out the facts before ranting off”.
Another viewer wrote: “A GO SLOW!!!!! WTF is Madderz going on about???”
Another viewer wrote: “Mr Madeley failing to understand how strikes work. Imagine how apoplectic he would be if nurses went on strike? He wouldn’t support them would he?”
A fellow viewer wrote: “This bloke from the Union is brilliant and completely showing Madeley as being badly informed.”
“I fully support the GMT industrial action and find Susanna and Richards points of argument about inconvenience hilarious and insulting,” another wrote.
