Train strikes: 83% of The Independent readers support them, according to poll

As a weekend of travel chaos looms this weekend, 83 per cent of The Independent readers say they support the train strikes, according to a poll.

Union members at Network Rail and 13 train operators staged 24-hour walkouts on 21 and 23 June and will for a third time on Saturday 25 June.

The RMT Union voted for a strike over pay, redundancies and “a guarantee there will be no detrimental changes to working practices”.

One reader, commenting under the name Itolduso, wrote: “The strike has interrupted an important family event on Saturday but I am still 100 per cent behind the RMT.”

Another commenter Avigail said: “I support the strikes, if anything because they are a way to show us that things aren’t working. Strikes are like symptoms in our society in the same way that people have symptoms in mental or physical health. Strikes might be annoying to some and uncomfortable, but like all symptoms they are there to tell us that something is wrong. It is not enough to negotiate and maybe remove a symptom by ending this or that strike. If the causes are not dealt with, more symptoms will inevitably appear in the form of more strikes and in other ways too. Our politicians are not well-developed people and are not fit to govern.”

A reader with the commenting name Whatservices added: “I support the strike, as the damage of reducing wages over the last decade and growing destitution and poverty spreading into the middle classes is becoming more of a serious issue than inflation. History reveals time and time again that poverty always increases and the take home wage for ordinary working people falls whenever the Conservatives are in power, and this is truer and more damaging within the UK today. In contrast, the wealth of the wealthiest keeps increasing excessively.”

Commenter Puggers disagreed with the strikes, writing: “Strikers are like dogs chasing their tails. They will jointly drive up inflation and will make themselves and other ordinary people poorer. RMT members have no compunction about making other’s lives harder and, stupidly, deincentivising people from using trains. NHS workers have compunction and are far more worthy because they have sacrificed so much more than railway employees and also care about those on whose behalf they work.”

A reader going by the name Forest added: “The RMT are a great example of why Britain can’t have nice things. These people are meant to be socialists (albeit rich ones) yet you see no sign of them donating a portion of their incomes to folk in other industries on lesser wages, redistributing the wealth and all that nonsense. No, they want us the customers to pay higher train fares to pay them even higher wages.”

Another, ‘Helianthus2’, said: “I would absolutely support a strike by teachers and NHS staff, as they are much worse paid than train drivers, and their pay really isnt keeping up with inflation. I just feel that the RMT strike too readily, and without so much justification.”

The poll ran for five days, including the first and second of the three strike days by rail workers, 904 readers responded to the question ‘Do you support the rail strikes?’ with 753 voting ‘yes’ and 145 (16 per cent) ‘no’. Two people chose the option ‘don’t know’ and four voted ‘don’t care.’

Do you support the rail strikes? Let us know in the comments below.