Hardline unions threaten summer of discontent over new laws to curb strikes and stop Britain grinding to a halt

HARDLINE unions have threatened a Summer season of Discontent over new legal guidelines to curb strikes and cease Britain grinding to a halt.

Emergency plans are being drawn as much as thwart militant leaders in a row over pay and upgrading our creaking railways.

Empty cabinets and commuter chaos may very well be on the playing cards as RMT bosses put together for a poll of their 40,000 members tomorrow.

The unions are poised to launch the largest rail strike in fashionable historical past subsequent month.

PM Boris Johnson is ready to carry conferences with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Chancellor Rishi Sunak this week to hammer out emergency plans.

Mr Shapps needs to deliver ahead new legal guidelines to drive unions to placed on trains even throughout strikes.

However Unite basic secretary Sharon Graham raged: “Unite will confront head-on, and by no matter means needed, any additional assaults on the best to strike.”

Authorities sources final night time accused archaic unions of presiding over a “fossilised, slowly-declining railway”.

Emergency motion to maintain Britain transferring could imply prioritising freight trains to maintain meals on cabinets and petrol within the pumps.

Demand for trains at peak instances has dropped since Covid as extra folks journey off-peak or work at home — forcing practice operators to take a look at the place to make cuts.

However RMT basic secretary, Mick Lynch, mentioned: “Railway staff have needed to take care of pay freezes and the prospect of shedding their jobs.

“Eradicating 2,500 safety-critical jobs from Community Rail makes accidents extra probably.”

The Division for Transport slammed union leaders for utilizing strikes as a primary, not final, resort earlier than negotiating.