U.K. rail strikes begin wave of festive season walkouts
The Hindu
Thousands of members of the country's biggest rail union the RMT launched their latest stoppage over a below-inflation pay offer.
U.K. rail workers on Tuesday began a two-day national strike, kicking off a month of walkouts involving nurses to passport control workers that could spell Christmas misery for millions.
Rush hour commuters faced a battle to get to work, while many opted to stay at home, as thousands of members of the country's biggest rail union the RMT launched their latest stoppage over a below-inflation pay offer.
Braving the ice and snow that has already hit travellers, picketers appeared at major railway stations early Tuesday, as train services wound down and people were advised only to travel if essential.
Trains were only running from 7:30 am (0730 GMT) to 6:30 pm on strike days, with just one in five services expected to run.
At London's Kings Cross station, Allan Smith, a 28-year-old web developer, said he had sympathy with the strikers, despite struggling to get to Heathrow airport.
"I totally get it. It's hard for the people at the moment," he told AFP.
Former firefighter Chris McBride, 74, blamed "incompetent government" for the chaos, with more stoppages planned between now and into the New Year.
With a new government in place in Delhi, Singapore hopes to schedule the Ministerial Roundtable with India shortly, says Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. In an exclusive interview, he speaks about the impact of the elections on ties, the “missed opportunity” of RCEP and the new buzz around Andhra Pradesh’s capital Amaravati.