Striking rail workers are “dug in” for a long battle which could drag on when Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak take over as Prime Minister, RMT chief Mick Lynch said as thousands of workers walkout on Thursday.
RMT members at Network Rail and 14 train operators, TSSA members at seven companies, and Unite members at Network Rail are walking out on the sixth rail strike this year including the Aslef strike last Saturday. Rail services will be drastically reduced, with only around a fifth running, and half of the lines closed.
Any trains that are running will only operate between 7.30 am and 6.30 pm with picket lines mounted outside railway stations across the country.
Mr Lynch told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “Our members are dug into this dispute. We told them it was not going to be a sprint, it is going to be more of a long-term issue.”
But, who are the RMT, what does it stand for, who does it represent, and who is Mick Lynch? Here’s everything you need to know.
What does RMT stand for?
RMT stands for The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers.
It is a British trade union that covers the transport sector, from the mainline and underground railways to shipping and offshore, buses and road freight.
It is currently presided over by Alex Gordon, and its current general secretary is Mick Lynch, reports The Sun.
Who does RMT represent?
The RMT represents the majority of London Underground staff, as well as many other workers in the London public transport network.
Despite a sizeable number of its members working on the railroads, an increasing portion of its members work in sectors related to the broader field of transportation.
Privatisation and the division of organisations like the National Bus Company and Associated British Ports have grown membership numbers in these sectors.
The RMT now represents more than 80,000 members across nearly all facets of the transportation sector.
What are RMT’s aims?
The RMT says it has “more than 83,000 members from almost every sector of the transport industry – from the mainline and underground railways, shipping and offshore, buses and road freight”.
It adds that it is “a progressive, democratic and highly professional trade union”, and it lists its key objective as “protecting and bettering our members’ pay and conditions”.
It adds: “We negotiate with over 150 transport-sector companies - using every opportunity to drive home our positive agenda for better pay, shorter hours and safer working conditions.”
Who is Mick Lynch from RMT?
Mick Lynch is the general secretary of the RMT.
He was born to Irish parents in 1962, and grew up in Paddington, in London. He left school at 16 to train as an electrician, before moving into construction.
He joined a union, but this led him to being illegally blacklisted, and he received a large compensation package for this 20 years later.
After leaving construction, Mr Lynch got a job working at Eurostar in 1993, where he became an active member of the RMT.
He served two terms as assistant general secretary of the RMT, before taking the role of acting general secretary in 202 when Mick Cash took time off for ill health.
In May 2021, he stood for election to become the permanent general secretary of the RMT, and he won the position, which he still holds today, reports iNews.
