Rail union the TSSA has announced a 24-hour walkout beginning at midday on the 26th September, through to the 27th. Ordinarily, this would just be another strike to add to the growing pile, however this one in particular will cause headaches for the Labour Party as it comes right in the middle of their Liverpool conference. Nine train companies will be affected, including at least three that would otherwise be relied upon on to get conference delegates to Liverpool, such as TransPennine Express, East Midlands Railway and Avanti West Coast. While the strike will be over by the final day of conference – the 28th – any rail user knows the day after a strike is often incredibly chaotic. Good luck to any Labour member hoping to get back home…
Not content with just overshadowing Labour’s conference grid, the TSSA union is also encouraging Labour MPs to join them on the picket line. The union is making it clear they’ve targeted Labour conference deliberately, with leader Manuel Cortes saying he:
“will be standing on our picket line in Liverpool and will be encouraging fellow delegates and Labour MPs to do likewise, so they can rightly show they stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those fighting the Tories’ cost of living crisis.”
A huge strike, and the potential for dozens of Labour MPs to ignore Sir Keir’s ‘no picketing rule? Labour’s press office better stock up on aspirin…
