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Hello,
Today’s edition takes a closer look at the impact of this week’s rail strikes as picket lines form at stations across the region. And we’re on the ground in Birkenhead as the town weighs up progression against its established identity.
'Back to the 1850s'
“Don’t demonise us, we’re not the enemy,” said Darren Pilling, speaking to the ECHO on the steps of Lime Street station this morning. Mr Pilling, the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) council secretary for the north west and north Wales branch, is one of roughly 40,000 workers who are taking strike action today. Strikes are also planned for Thursday and Saturday, but disruption is expected across the country’s network for the entire week.
The picket line formed from the early morning, with banners and flags draped across the entrance and railings. But few passengers are expected to cross it throughout the day. Inside, the usually hectic departure board bears but a few services bunched up in one column. Little to no passengers could be seen craning their necks up toward the panoramic screen. The shelves of meal deals in the station’s stores will largely go untouched. It was a similar story a few minutes down the road at central station. Merseyrail staff are still manning the ticket offices, but no services will run on the network today.
Despite the show of support, Mr Pilling cut a sombre figure in the morning sunshine. He referenced the media attacks on workers in recent days and the worsening situation he claims has led to today’s strike action. Mr Piling noted how his union had "complied with every law in the land", questioning whether the same could be said of the Prime Minister and his Government given recent revelations. Speaking on the "vitriol" towards members surrounding the strikes, he told the ECHO’s Liam Thorp: “They talk about us wanting to take [the country back] to the 1970s. They want to take us back to the 1850s.”
In short, members of the RMT are striking today, Thursday and Saturday over pay and conditions. The union says that National Rail is threatening to cut a number of jobs critical to safety, and that a pay rise in line with soaring inflation is required as the cost of living crisis deepens. The union is asking for a rise of seven percent and has rejected an offer of two percent. But the rail industry says that the pandemic has impacted revenues and needs to remain sustainable. The Government has so far refused to be moved by the Union’s demands, with transport secretary Grant Schapps said to have not taken part in any negotiations to avert the strikes. The Government points to the large subsidy it paid to the railways during the pandemic - £16bn - and that running costs and money currently recouped from fares does not make the union’s pay demands feasible.
This week’s action could serve as an opening chapter as opposed to a conclusion. The number of members involved in today’s strikes is the highest number since the 80s, but these numbers could grow if railway workers take more action through the year alongside other professions. Train drivers represented by Alsef are set to go on strike soon, with similar action expected from NHS workers and teachers. Criminal barristers have also announced intentions to strike over legal aid funding.
Politically, Merseyside has been largely behind the strikes. MPs such as Kim Johnson, Ian Byrne, Paula Barker, Dan Carden and Mick Whitley have all stated their support of the strikes - a number of which will also be present on picket lines today. Liverpool Labour Councillors have also sent out a joint statement supporting those on today’s picket lines, adding they support “a campaign for all working people in the face of a cost of living crisis.”
But there is different mood music on Labour’s front benches. While the party says it did not want the strikes to happen and lays blame for the Government, it’s understood that shadow cabinet members have been asked to stay away from pickets. At a local council level, Liverpool’s Labour Cabinet was very much at the heart of the demonstration. Cabinet member for Housing and Economic development, Cllr Sarah Doyle, said today’s action should be used to send a clear message to the Government. Asked whether she felt Labour was being supportive enough of the actions, she suggested more needs to be done. She added: “As a party born out of the trade unions we have to stand with workers.”
Writing the week off
Much of the strike debate has been played out between the unions and the Government so far, but many regular rail users have been caught up in the middle. Passengers could argue they too have been on the receiving end of worsening conditions, with fares steadily increasing over the years and little in the way of infrastructural development promised for the north of England.
One passenger looking to board a train at Southport station this morning told the ECHO how he was on the way to an appointment about his resident status. Tino Bello said he had to run for a bus to ensure he got to an appointment on time. Another passenger, Jimmy Cantrill, was hoping to hop on a train to Whiston hospital where he was due to have surgery on his wrist. He said he was now 'scrambling' to get a bus all the way from Southport to Knowsley.
It was a similar story across the water as passengers arrived at Hamilton Square only to find no services were running. Elizabeth Furguson said she wasn’t aware of the strikes as she was recently on holiday in Barcelona, and was now trying to find a way of getting to work in Liverpool.
But the impacts go beyond making the everyday commute slightly harder. Dale, a local taxi driver in Southport, told the ECHO how he pays £1,000 a year to hold a space outside of the train station, but he said he “might as well write the rest of the week off.”
The 'beating heart' of Birkenhead
Birkenhead is the centre of one of the largest regeneration projects in the country, according to the council’s cabinet member for regeneration, Cllr Tony Jones. With over £100m of capital funding secured, although not fully delivered, the town is set to undergo a radical makeover, with further development in the pipelines at Wirral Waters.
Attempting to strike while the regeneration iron is hot, the council has backed a feasibility study which could see Tranmere Rovers move from its home in Prenton to an infilled dock in Bidston, within the Wirral Waters site, owned by Peel L&P. Following up on the potential of the move, the ECHO received a mixed reaction.
Many in the immediate Prenton area, which has an increasingly diverse mix of working class communities, feared the ‘heart’ of Birkenhead was at stake by moving a century old institution to what some see could be a sterile retail park, with a football stadium attached. Others however see the potential move as a way to strengthen community bonds across the Wirral, continuing the essential work of the Tranmere Rovers Fan Trust and the Wirral Deen centre.
But others fear the identity of the area is at risk, one fans and the local Birkenhead community have painstaking carved out on the back of Tranmere 'mythology'. Around the immediate Prenton area, a number of murals by artist Paul Curtis nod towards this growing mythology, one tied to popular culture and the social history of Birkenhead. For some, it’s more than paint depicting heroes of the 'Super Whites', it’s a flag in the ground for a community that increasing feels the walls closing in - with a affluent Wirral on one side, and the bright lights of the city on the other
READ MORE : The ‘beating heart’ of Birkenhead could be heading for ‘the tip’
When murals go wrong...
Speaking of murals, the city region has a growing portfolio of art works which celebrate intricare parts of its history. Where those at Prenton Park often inspire those who look up to them, one a few miles away in Caldy was part of the downfall of a ‘cocaine kingpin’.
As reported by the ECHO’s Jonathan Humphries, a man involved in a major drugs trafficking conspiracy was brought down by a mural of UFC superstar Conor McGregor painted on his wall. Ryan Palin, 36, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply 700kg of cocaine, 15kg of heroin and 40kg of amphetamines at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday. A jury was convinced he was the user of the EncroChat handle 'Titch.com', which detectives had identified after the encrypted phone network was hacked by French and Dutch police.
Palin was identified as the man behind 'Titch.com' owing to the Conor McGregor mural, painted at his home address in Mereworth, Caldy, after detectives found pictures of it on his EncroChat device. Despite the seemingly overwhelming evidence, Palin still argued he was not the man behind the handle.
READ MORE: Cocaine kingpin brought down by Conor McGregor mural on wall
In focus
The view
“They talk about us wanting to take [the country back] to the 1970s. They want to take us back to the 1850s.”
Darren Pilling, regional council secretary of the RMT North West & North Wales on the 'vitriol' members have received surrounding the strikes |
Summer Kops
It’s been many years since the summer pops tent pitched up on the old layout of King’s Dock. Anfield stadium has looked to plug a gap of sorts this summer, welcoming some of the biggest names in the business for a series of live concerts. Last night desert rockers The Eagles were the latest to wow a packed out Anfield, but the stadium capacity didn’t deter a range of spectators making the most of the weather and music spilling out into the streets of L4.
Rather than find a place among the plastic chairs in the stadium, groups convened for a picnic on Stanley park where they would have been treated to a front row view of a sunburst sunset as the legendary band hammered out favourites such as Hotel California. Football fans with a perceptive ear mightn’t enjoy a similar experience on the park when the season starts back up.
ECHO Chamber
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